UN Chief: At Least 34 Journalists Killed in the Past Year

At least 34 journalists were killed over the past year, and six of every seven such killings go unpunished, the United Nations Secretary-General said in a message marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

TheSecretary-General, António Guterres, said journalists around the world “continue to pay an outrageous price for telling the truth.” He said media workers are often harassed, surveilled, sued, physically attacked or imprisoned, and sometimes tortured or killed, for doing their jobs.

The impunity rate in conflict settings is close to 100 percent, he said. He called that “a heinous affront to the victims and their loved ones, as well as all of us who depend on journalists to remain informed and engaged.”

“This scandal must end,” he said.

Guterres called for every case to be investigated, every perpetrator prosecuted and online attacks on journalists to stop. He said journalists’ work is fundamental to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

He said progress is possible. Since the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity was launched in 2012, the impunity rate in countries not in armed conflict has dropped from 94 percent to 77 percent. “But we must do more,” he said.

“When journalists are targeted and their reporting is extinguished, it makes victims of us all,” Guterres said.