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2024.11.02
Seoul
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
Olga Pynenkova
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists has been observed by the UN every year on November 2 since 2013 to draw attention to the need to create safe working conditions for media workers around the world. This date was chosen to honor the memory of two French journalists who were killed in Mali on November 2, 2013.
According to the UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists, more than 1,700 journalists were killed worldwide from 2006 to 2024. Since 2017, monitoring experts have recorded a gradual decrease in the number of deaths of journalists working in conflict zones, but in 2023, against the backdrop of intensified military action in several regions at once, this trend has been reversed.
Thus, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in particular in Gaza there was "the highest number of killings of journalists and media workers in any war in decades". Attacks on journalists are often not properly investigated, with around 9 out of 10 murders remaining judicially unresolved. Journalists are also frequently victims of threats, violence, torture, kidnapping, or online harassment and abuse because of their work. Women journalists are particularly vulnerable: 73 percent of them have experienced threats and abuse online.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is intended to remind us that a free press is critical to human rights and democracy around the world. Without adequate media coverage, many places where wars and human rights violations may occur risk becoming so-called zones of silence, which will contribute to the aggravation of the situation. Governments around the world must work to reduce violence against journalists and ensure safe working conditions for them.
Written by Olga Pynenkova for Yonsei GSIS Human Rights Hub
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