Tripoli: The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) confirmed that journalists in Libya face frequent online harassment, hindering their ability to carry out their role in monitoring corruption, human rights violations, and other issues.

According to Libyan News Agency, the mission said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the most common form of harassment is abusive comments or messages on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This was revealed during a discussion panel with UNSMIL and Libyan journalists last week.

The mission noted that journalists discussed how images and videos are sometimes manipulated using deceptive editing or artificial intelligence and then disseminated widely to harass journalists and their work. The participants highlighted that harassment reasons vary, ranging from the subject of the news story to the reporter’s gender, age, and cultural background. Sensitive political or human rights stories often fuel harassment against journalists.

According to the UN mission, 31 journalists from across Libya joined the discussion group last Thursday as part of the Basira professional development program, in coordination with the mission’s human rights department. The mission has planned a workshop on June 19 to explore ways to protect journalists from online harassment. This workshop will be led by a digital safety expert from the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international nongovernmental organization.