UNESCO:  the number of journalists killed while working leaped 38% in 2022-23

PARIS, Nov.2, (ST)- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned of the escalation of crimes targeting journalists while performing their duty around the world, with most of these crimes and their perpetrators remaining unpunished.

The killing of journalists worldwide surged in 2022-23 compared with the previous two years, with a majority of cases unsolved, the United Nations has said.

On average, one journalist was killed every four days, UNESCO said in a report released on Saturday.

At 162 deaths, the number of journalists killed while working leaped 38 percent, the report found, calling the increase “alarming”.

“In 2022 and 2023, a journalist was killed every four days simply for doing their vital job to pursue truth,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.

She urged countries to “do more to ensure that these crimes never go unpunished”.

The report underlined that the largest number of killings was in Latin America and the Caribbean, at 61 over the two years, while the least deadly global region for journalists was North America and Western Europe with six killings.

For the first time since 2017, a majority of journalists were killed in conflict zones in 2023, with 44 deaths accounting for 59 percent of the year’s total – a shift from a years-long decline in conflict-related fatalities.

In 2023, Palestine recorded the highest number of cases, with 24 journalists dying in the line of work.

While the report does not include deaths in 2024, since October last year the number of journalists killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon has jumped to more than 135, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Journalists have faced unprecedented danger while covering Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Source: Agencies

B.Q.