[Abandoned] Protections for War Correspondents

[Frisbeeteria]

The General Assembly,

Recognizing the importance of War Correspondents to a free and independent press as well as,

Reaffirming the right of War Correspondents to access information necessary to carry out their function as well as,

Defending the right of War Correspondents to recieve legal protections while carrying out their duties,

Concerned that the lack of World Assembly legislation after Resolution #505 leaves War Correspondents unprotected in the face of hostile regimes and,

Futher concerned that this lack of protection could jeopardize both lives, and free press, in nations ruled by said regimes,

Hereby defines the following:

1. War Correspondent - A journalist who attempts to provide written accounts, photos, or film footage (War Correspondence) from a War Zone
2. War Zone - A geographic region in which an armed conflict between two or more forces is ongoing
3. Genunine Threat - A threat, direct or indirect, that could prove more dangerous than threats normally encountered in the course of War Correspondence
4. Deadly Weapon - A firearm, edged weapon, or blunt object, designed with the sole intent of harming others

Hereby enacts the following:

1. War Correspondents must be granted free movement inside and out of conflict zones, unless there is a genuine threat, as defined by this legislation, to the life of the Correspondent or the lives of others.
2. War Correspondents must be treated as an unarmed civilian in all combat, and must not be fired upon unless they can be proven to be an active threat to the lives of others.
3. War Correspondents must have access to any and all information which would not jeopardize the lives of others if reported.
4. War Correspondents must not interfere with combat in favor of any nation,
   • However, War Correspondents may not be prohibited from access to combat zones unless they have provably demonstrated a pattern of repeated interference in said zones.

• War Correspondents shall not be prosecuted by any nation for espionage unless they have provably accessed and shared information with full intent to help the war effort at the detriment of others or accessed and shared information at the direction of a foreign regime.
• War Correspondents shall not be prosecuted for the sharing of information on any ongoing activity in a combat zone unless said information would jeprodize the lives of combatents.
• War Correspondents who report on concealed violations of Human Rights, including those protected by this General Assembly, may not be prosecuted and,
• War Correspondents who report on concealed violations of International Laws, including those set out by this General Assembly, may not be prosecuted.
• War Correspondents may not carry a deadly weapon, as defined by this Resolution, unless demonstrably necessary for protection of life and/or limb, or they may risk the loss of protections under this Resolution.

This is my first attempt at a GA resolution. While I am still working on this draft to improve both the quality and soundness, I would appreciate any initial feedback to help me with this process. Thanks!

EDIT: It appears another nation has already drafted a proposal on this issue, thus I will rescind this. My apologies.

[Boston Castle]

First things first, the formatting is kind of a mess. (Probably just a stray [/list] somewhere.)

But, erm, there's another draft re: your topic that's out there by Refuge Isle.

[Ladinacem Andia]

First things first, the formatting is kind of a mess. (Probably just a stray [/list] somewhere.)

But, erm, there's another draft re: your topic that's out there by Refuge Isle.

Ah, rats. I caught the formatting issue, but some issue with the forums kept me from fixing it. I submitted a technical request. My apologies to Refuge Isle, I must have missed their draft when checking to see if anyone had covered this yet. I'll abandon this one.

[Imperium Anglorum]

You don't need to abandon your draft merely because someone else is also drafting on that topic. There's no 'bro code' that says 'dibs on the topics I see first'.