JOURNALISTS who have been silenced across the world won’t be forgotten, a gathering of media executives and editors have promised at a press freedom conference in Geneva.

The 68th World Congress of the International Press Institute (IPI) opened yesterday at a time when journalism and press freedom is under increased pressure across the globe.

UN under secretary-general and director general of the UN Office at Geneva Michael Moller opened the conference, saying: “When journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price.”

He made his remarks on the day police raided the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) offices in Sydney seizing documents relating to the 2017 Afghan Files story which exposed allegations that soldiers unlawfully killed men, women and children in Afghanistan.

Eight journalists in France have recently been summonsed in what has been described as a chilling attempt to silence government critics.

Two from the Disclose investigative journalism platform  face five years in jail for refusing to give details of the source that revealed the French government, including President Emmanuel Macron, had seen a report in October 2018 which showed French weapons had been used against civilians in Yemen.

Mr Macron continues to deny complicity in the Saudi-led war and insists that French cannons were only used in defensive situations.

IPI chair Markus Spillmann told delegates: “For any journalist who is imprisoned, killed, silenced in any way, the biggest fear is to be forgotten. If the world forgets, it becomes easy to silence journalists.”

The conference brings together media bosses under the name of press freedom.

Turkish media mogul Vuslat Dogan Sabanci, a lifetime member of IPI and former board member of the insitute, was present at the event.

Turkey is the world’s leading jailer of journalists with a third of the global total.