Amal Clooney made UK special envoy on media freedom
The human rights lawyer says she has seen "first-hand the ways聽in which reporters are being targeted and imprisoned".
Saturday 6 April 2019 11:26, UK
Amal Clooney has been tasked with protecting journalists and media freedom after being made a UK special envoy.
The international human rights lawyer - who is married to actor George - said she was "honoured" to receive the role.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who made the appointment, said her legal work meant she was "ideally placed to ensure this campaign has real impact".
Violence against journalists has reached "alarming levels globally", Mr Hunt said, adding: "There is no escaping the fact that draconian and outdated laws around the world are being used to restrict the ability of the media to report the truth."
In 2018, 99 journalists were killed, 348 detained and 60 taken hostage by non-state groups, the Foreign Office said.
Amal Clooney said she had seen "first-hand the ways in which reporters are being targeted and imprisoned in an effort to silence them and prevent a free media".
She added: "I welcome the UK government's focus on this issue at a time when journalists are being killed and imprisoned at record levels all over the world, and I look forward to working on new legal initiatives that can help to ensure a more effective international response."
An international conference on media freedom will be held in the UK in July.