The UN human rights chief said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's relentless attacks on the media could trigger violence against journalists, suggesting the US leader would be responsible.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein voiced particular alarm over Trump's verbal assaults on CNN, the New York Times and Washington Post. "To call these news organisations 'fake' does tremendous damage and to refer to individual journalists in this way, I have to ask the question, is this not an incitement for others to attack journalistsIJ
"And let's assume a journalist is harmed from one of these organisations, does the president not bear responsibility for this, for having fanned thisIJ" Zeid told reporters in Geneva.
"I believe it could amount to incitement," he added, saying Trump had set in motion a cycle that includes "incitement, fear, self-censorship and violence."