Nine out of ten crimes against journalists are unpunished: UNESCO
In close to nine out of ten cases perpetrators of crimes against journalists go unpunished, according to UNESCO. “For too many journalists telling the truth comes at a price. Truth and power do not go hand in hand”, said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November.
Worldwide, between 2006 and 2020, nearly 1 200 journalists were killed in the line of duty. A UNESCO report notes that In recent years, civil society, researchers, and international bodies have increasingly recognized the extent and impact of violence against women journalists—off-line and online, verbal, visual and physical.
“Many women journalists report suffering physical and online violence perpetrated by colleagues, sources, public figures, anonymous perpetrators, and strangers. That violence, in its many forms, poses a threat to diversity in the media, as well as equal participation in democratic deliberation and the public’s right to access information.”
From 2016 through 2020, 37 women journalists were killed, accounting for roughly 9 percent of the total 400 killings recorded in those five years.
Azoulay stressed that many journalists have lost their lives while covering conflicts, but even more are being killed outside situations of conflict, murdered for investigating issues such as corruption, trafficking, political wrongdoing, human rights violations and environmental abuses.
“Death is not the only risk journalists face. Attacks on the press can take the form of threats, kidnappings, arrests, imprisonment or harassment (both online and offline), and they are targeted at women in particular”, she said.
“Only by investigating and prosecuting crimes against media professionals can we guarantee access to information and freedom of expression. Only by allowing the truth to be spoken can we advance peace, justice and sustainable development in our societies.”
The UNESCO reports shows that for the period 2016–2020, the organisation recorded 400 killings of journalists. This figure is a nearly 20% decrease from the previous five-year period.
“Yet, unabated levels of impunity for these cases correlate with increases in imprisonment and other attacks. The daunting combination, including online violence, spurs self-censorship”, the UNESCO report says.
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