Rien n'est Pardonné

 3^rd November 2017

Millions worldwide rallied behind the banner of free speech shortly after the Charlie Hebdo Magazine terror attacks on the 7^th of January 2015. The colours of blue, white and red emblazoned national and city monuments globally and flooded social media in memory of the journalists who lost their lives. As 90% of crimes against journalists go unpunished and a total of 930 killed in the past 11 years, the significance of challenging those who wish to undermine the practice of providing information and news to the public, should be upheld.

To highlight International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, United Nations Cinema, in partnership with the Government of Flanders, screened ‘Rien n’est Pardonné – Nothing is Forgiven’. This documentary was shot over a period of five years featuring Zineb El Rhazoui, a journalist, activist and survivor of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris. Fleeing from Morocco for employment and personal safety reasons during the Arab Spring, Zineb moved to France where she began a professional career with Charlie Hebdo magazine.

A panel discussion followed the screening which was moderated by Christophe Verhellen (UNRIC), with four guest speakers: Nicolas Vadot (Political Cartoonist for Le Vif/L’Express and L’Echo); Vincent Coen (Film Director – Rien n’est pardonné); Guillaume Vandenberghe (Film Director – Rien n’est pardonné), and Deborah Seward (UNRIC).

Post screening, the discussion panel unanimously agreed on the fact that ‘freedom of speech is something that concerns us all’. Deborah Seward then continued by stating that “whatever your beliefs there has to be an ability to express them without fear or reprisal”, highlighting the need for government, civil society and the media to do more in order to maintain the institution of free speech.

é

Film director, Guillaume Vandenberghe, expressed that his interest in Zineb El Rhazoui came from her “eloquence and bravery”. He explained that the film was foremost about the portrayal of a woman, who was not able to express her opinion whilst working in Morocco and France, without fear for her life.

Referring to the terror attacks against Charlie Hebdo, Nicolas Vadot concluded that the 7^th of January 2015 did not just result in the tragic deaths of eleven people, but was a targeted assault on our “freedom to think”.

Find out more about Rien n'est Pardonné here. 

Take a look at our photos from the event on Flickr here.

Learn more about the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists here.