UNESCO: Six in seven journalist killings go unpunished globally

Six out of every seven journalists killed worldwide are not brought to justice, with global impunity for journalist killings rising for the first time in more than a decade, according to a new report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The report revealed that the impunity rate increased to 86 per cent in 2024 and 2025, compared with 85 per cent in the preceding two-year period.

UNESCO said the development reversed progress in efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against journalists since it began tracking the figures in 2012.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the findings were contained in UNESCO’s Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity, released on Monday ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed annually on November 2.

According to the report, 189 journalists were killed worldwide in 2024 and 2025, representing a 20 per cent increase compared with the previous two years.

Of the total, 127 journalists, representing more than two-thirds, were killed in conflict zones.

UNESCO Director-General, Khaled El-Enany, said journalists were increasingly losing their lives while reporting from conflict zones, while those responsible for their deaths often escaped prosecution.

The report showed that the Arab States recorded the highest number of verified journalist killings with 97 cases, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 37, Asia-Pacific with 34, Central and Eastern Europe with 14, Africa with six, and Western Europe and North America with one.

The State of Palestine recorded the highest number of journalist killings in both years, with 30 cases in 2024 and 32 in 2025.

UNESCO also raised concerns over the growing use of drones to target journalists, describing the development as an emerging threat to media workers, particularly in conflict zones.

It said drone strikes killed 50 journalists during the period under review, accounting for 40 per cent of all journalists killed in conflict areas.

The report further documented seven incidents in which multiple journalists were killed in single attacks, including strikes on media offices and temporary reporting centres.

It also noted that 15 journalists were killed while wearing press vests or travelling in vehicles clearly marked with the word ‘Press’.

El-Enany called for compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2222, adopted unanimously in 2015, which provides for the protection of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians during armed conflicts.

He said the protection of journalists was also reaffirmed in the Pact for the Future.

Despite the worsening global figures, UNESCO reported some progress in countries not experiencing armed conflicts.

According to the organisation, impunity for journalist killings in non-conflict countries declined from 94 per cent in 2012 to 77 per cent in 2026, representing an average reduction of about one percentage point annually.

It added that the 85 journalist killings recorded in non-conflict zones during the period were the lowest in 18 years.

UNESCO attributed the progress to investments by governments in investigations, prosecutions and measures to protect journalists.

The report, however, highlighted the particular dangers faced by women journalists, both in conflict zones and online.

It disclosed that 13 of the 14 women journalists killed in 2024 and 2025 were in countries experiencing armed conflict.

Additionally, a 2025 study conducted by UN Women and the International Center for Journalists found that 75 per cent of women journalists had experienced online or offline abuse and harassment.

More than 40 per cent also reported experiencing offline violence linked to online attacks, compared with 20 per cent recorded in a 2020 UNESCO survey.