International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

Did you know?

• 153 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in 2022-2023.*
• 117 journalists were killed in 2020-2021.
• In 2020 and 2021, Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for 38% of killings, followed by Asia and the Pacific with 32% of killings.
• Only 14 percent of cases of crimes against journalists are currently considered judicially resolved.
• In 2021, the percentage of women among all journalists killed almost doubled, rising to 11% from 6% the previous year.

Source: UNESCO 2022 *2023

The South African National Editors’ Forum joins the world in the call for the ending of impunity for crimes against journalists ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Monday 4 November 2024.

With the rise of conflicts and other crises, crimes against journalists are one of the most important and complex challenges of recent times.

António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, said in his message on Saturday, 2 November 2024, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, that the UN reaffirms its commitment to press freedom and the safety of journalists worldwide.

“A free press is fundamental to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Yet journalists around the world are prevented from doing their job and often face threats, violence, and even death in their mission to bring truth to light and hold the powerful to account.”

Guterres said in recent years, the world has seen an alarming rate of fatalities in conflict zones – in particular in Gaza, which has seen the highest number of killings of journalists and media workers in any war in decades.

“Worldwide, an estimated 9 out of 10 journalist murders go unpunished. Impunity breeds further violence. This must change,” he said as he emphasised calls for respecting and protecting journalists, media professionals and associated personnel working in situations of armed conflict.

“I call on governments to bring these commitments to life by taking urgent steps to protect journalists, investigate crimes against them, and prosecute perpetrators – everywhere. Together, let’s end the cycle of violence, uphold freedom of expression, and ensure that journalists can carry out their essential work safely and without fear – everywhere,” Guterres said.

Safety of Journalists in Crises and Emergencies

UNESCO’s monitoring in 2023 recorded that more than 50% of journalist killings occurred in crisis- and conflict zones, with continuously high numbers in the first half of 2024.

Many journalists, media professionals, and associated media personnel exercise their duties in highly dangerous contexts. Too many pay an unacceptably high price, including death, enforced disappearance, torture, unlawful detention, and kidnapping, for producing independent, reliable, and verifiable information.

According to UNESCO, these tragedies are only the tip of the iceberg. Media infrastructure is often damaged or destroyed, and journalists face physical attacks, detention, equipment confiscation or denial of access to reporting sites. Many are forced to flee or cease work, risking turning conflict areas into “zones of silence”.

Whether reporting on conflict, humanitarian disasters, climate or health crises, UNESCO noted that journalists continue to face disproportionate threats and higher levels of impunity for extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention, as well as intimidation and harassment, both offline and online.

Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be the region with the highest number of murders of journalists, according to the 2022 UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity.

Since 1993, more than 1,700 journalists have been killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public. Impunity leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems.

While killings are the most extreme form of media censorship, journalists are also subjected to countless threats – ranging from kidnapping, torture and other physical attacks to harassment, particularly in the digital sphere. Threats of violence and attacks against journalists, in particular, create a climate of fear for media professionals, impeding the free circulation of information, opinions and ideas for all citizens.

Women journalists are particularly impacted by threats and attacks, notably by those made online. According to UNESCO’s discussion paper, The Chilling: Global trends in online violence against women journalists, 73 percent of the women journalists surveyed said they had been threatened, intimidated and insulted online in connection with their work.

In many cases, threats of violence and attacks against journalists are not properly investigated. This impunity emboldens the perpetrators of the crimes and at the same time has a chilling effect on society, including journalists themselves.

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