UNESCO warns that most crimes against journalists go unpunished

The United Nations cultural organisation, 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.

It added that 189 journalists and other media workers lost their lives in 2024 to 2025, or 20 per cent more than during the previous 2-year period.

UNESCO said that in 9 out of 10 of the cases, the killers go unpunished.

It added that while killings were 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, with 97 journalists killed there over the past two years, many in connection to the war in Gaza.

But Africa continues to face serious challenges.

Reporters in countries such as Somalia, Uganda, and the Sahel region exposed to killings, intimidation, and online harassment.

This year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recorded two journalists killed on the African continent: one in Uganda and the other in Somalia.

UNESCO said 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 UN agency also noted that wearing a vest or helmet marked press offered no guarantee of protection for reporters in war zones.

It called for greater accountability and protection for journalists, stressing that press identification does not guarantee their safety.

The date of 2 November was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two Radio France International journalists in Mali in 2013.