UNESCO warns that most crimes against journalists go unpunished

The United Nations Cultural Organization, UNESCO, says global impunity for the killing of journalists has risen for the first time in more than a decade. In a report released on Monday to coincide with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, it said that more than 1,700 reporters have been killed globally since 1993. 189 journalists and other media workers lost their lives in 2024 to 2025, or 20% more than during the previous two-year period. UNESCO says that in nine out of ten of the cases, the killers go unpunished. It adds that while killings are the most extreme form of media censorship, journalists are also subjected to countless other threats. This ranges from kidnapping, torture and other physical attacks to harassment, particularly in the digital sphere. The Middle East was the region with the highest number of journalists murdered, but Africa continues to face serious challenges. Reporters in countries such as Somalia, Uganda and the Sahel region are exposed to killings, intimidation and online harassment. UNESCO says this creates a climate of fear for media professionals, impeding the free circulation of information, opinions and ideas for all citizens. It also warned that reporters are increasingly being targeted in conflict zones, including through drone attacks. The agency called for greater accountability and protection for journalists. The date of the 2nd of November was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two Radio France international journalists in Mali in 2013.