Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Between August 2023 and May 2025, UNESCO recorded the killing of 163 journalists. 109 media workers, including 12 women, died in conflict zones, mainly in Gaza (46), Sudan (13) and Ukraine (8).
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was established by the UN General Assembly in 2013 and is observed on November 2. The date was chosen in memory of two French journalists killed in Mali in 2013. This day reminds the world that impunity for violence against media workers undermines freedom of speech, democracy, and the public's right to reliable information.
“I condemn the killings of journalists in Gaza, express outrage at their high numbers, and call for independent and impartial investigations,” the statement reads, published this year. report of the UN chief“I also note that the ban preventing international journalists from accessing Gaza is unacceptable.”
Murders of journalists continue to occur even in countries not engulfed in war. According to UNESCO, the situation in Mexico is more dangerous than in many conflict zones: 15 media workers were killed there during the period under review. The highest number of confirmed journalist murders was recorded in the Arab States (82), followed by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (34), Africa (5), Asia-Pacific (30), and Europe and North America (12).
High degree of impunity
The global level of impunity for crimes against media workers remains very high, the UN Secretary-General notes: although it has decreased by one percent compared to 2022, 85 percent of journalist murders remain unsolved.
According to UNESCO, the highest levels of impunity are found in the Middle East and North Africa region, followed by Asia and the Pacific and Africa. The prevailing impunity in many countries continues to be attributed to weak and corrupt law enforcement and judicial systems, a lack of political will, and connections between politicians, corrupt business circles, and organized crime.
“On this International Day, we want to remind everyone how important it is for maintaining peace and ensuring social progress that journalists are safe, independent and protected in the performance of their mission,” the statement reads. message from UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
Arrests and prosecutions
According to data from Reporters Without Borders, cited by the UN Secretary-General in his report, at least 1,163 journalists were detained worldwide between 2023 and 2025, with 568 of them still in custody in 48 countries. Nearly half of all journalist imprisonments occurred in five countries: Belarus, China, Israel, Myanmar, and the Russian Federation.
In recent years, a number of States have seen an increase in the abuse of laws, including defamation laws (the public dissemination of information that defames a person's honor, dignity, or reputation), counter-terrorism laws, and other security-related legislation, the application of which is not consistent with international law.
Relationship with the exploitation of natural resources
According to the report, citing Reporters Without Borders, there is a correlation between the high intensity of natural resource exploitation in countries and their low ranking in the World Press Freedom Index. Between 2013 and 2021, 78 percent of hydrocarbons (oil, gas, and coal), 45 percent of mining products, and 67 percent of forest products came from countries with press freedom ratings of "challenging" or "very serious."
Journalists who cover environmental damage often have to report on the negative impacts of powerful corporations or their unfair practices, as well as corruption in regulatory agencies, collusion between government officials and corporations, government-approved projects with huge environmental impacts, and systemic flaws in environmental policies.
When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice.
“Free and independent journalism is a vital public good, and journalists around the world must be able to work freely, impartially and without fear,” he recalled. Antonio Guterres in his report. "Despite this, attacks on journalists continue around the world."
To address the challenges facing journalists, it is crucial to take swift and more effective measures, the Secretary-General noted. He believes that, first and foremost, states should end impunity for the killings of journalists, which has reached "unacceptably high levels," through prompt, effective, thorough, impartial, and independent investigations.
“When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice,” António Guterres emphasized. “Let us stand together to defend press freedom, demand accountability, and ensure that those who speak truth to power can do so without fear.”
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