“After several consecutive years of decline, the large increase in the number of journalists murdered in 2022 is alarming”, warned the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.
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On average, the number fell to 58 between 2019 and 2021, compared to the 99 media workers murdered in 2018, recalls UNESCO.
Of the 86 deaths in 2022, 44 occurred in the Latin America and Caribbean region, with Mexico (19) and Haiti (9) having the most homicides. In total, there were 16 incidents in Asia and the Pacific and 11 in eastern Europe.
“There are no safe spaces”
In its statement, the Paris-based organization warns that “approximately half” of the murdered journalists were not working at the time of the attack.
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“The trend of recent years continues, which indicates that there are no safe spaces for journalists, not even during their free time”, highlights Azoulay.
UNESCO specifies that the professionals were executed for reporting on organized crime, the rise of extremism, corruption, crimes against the environment and some other issues.
The number of journalists murdered in conflict countries also increased in 2022, from 20 to 23 in one year. Last year, ten were killed in Ukraine, where Russia launched an offensive in February.
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Around 86% of homicides of communicators remain unpunished, reinforces the organization, in addition to highlighting other forms of “violence”, such as rapes, forced disappearances and digital violence.
(AFP)
