Report: 55 scribes killed last year in ‘alarmingly widespread’ impunity
Fifty-five journalists and media workers were killed across the world last year, the lowest annual death toll in more than a decade, a new report shows.
However, the report dubbed Unesco Observatory of Killed Journalists revealed that despite the low numbers of killings, impunity for such crimes remains widespread and journalists still face a huge number of risks.
“Once again in 2021, far too many journalists paid the ultimate price to bring truth to light. Right now, the world needs independent, factual information more than ever.
We must do more to ensure that those who work tirelessly to provide this can do so without fear,” said Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
According to the report, two-thirds of those killings took place in countries not experiencing armed conflict showing the continued risks faced by journalists in their daily reporting to expose wrongdoing.
This marks a complete reversal of the situation just a few years ago, in 2013, when two-thirds of killings took place in countries in conflict.
“The majority of deaths in 2021 took place in just two regions the Asia-Pacific, with 23 killings and Latin America and the Caribbean, with 14,” reads part of the report.
The report also revealed that journalists worldwide continue to be subject to high rates of imprisonment, physical attack, intimidation and harassment, including when covering protests.
Women journalists especially face a shocking prevalence of harassment online.
Unesco is the United Nations agency with a global mandate to ensure freedom of expression and the safety of journalists worldwide and coordinates the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which is marking its ten-year anniversary in 2022.
