UNESCO reports surge in journalist killings

Killings of journalists across the world rose 38% in 2022-2023 compared with the two previous years, with 162 verified deaths, according to a new report by UNESCO released on Saturday.

"In 2022 and 2023, a journalist was killed every four days simply for doing their vital job to pursue truth," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.

Dangerous regions

More than half of the killings in 2022 and 2023 occurred in countries where an armed conflict was taking place, with most journalists being killed in their home countries.

Other journalists were killed in the course of their work on organized crime or corruption or while reporting on protests, the report said.

In 2022, Mexico saw the highest number of journalist killings, with 19 cases, while in 2023 the highest number was in the Palestinian territories, at 24. 

In general, the report said the most dangerous areas for journalists are Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Arab countries.

North America and Western Europe were the least dangerous regions for journalists, with six killings.

Altogether 14 of the journalists killed in 2022-23 were women — 9% of the total.

Widespread impunity

The report showed that most of the cases go unpunished, with 85% percent of cases identified by UNESCO since 2006 still unsolved or abandoned, according to responses figures provided by individual countries.

That is a slight decrease compared to 2018, when 89% of cases remained unsolved, and to 2012, when the impunity rate was a whole 95%.

"These crimes must not and cannot go unpunished. Yet this is still the case for almost 85% of them," Azoulay said.

The biannual report by the Paris-based scientific and cultural organization analyses the state of journalists' safety worldwide.

tj/kb (AFP, dpa)