Global impunity for journalist killings rises for first time in more than a decade, UNESCO reports

More than two thirds of the deaths, 127, occurred in conflict zones, where UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the rate of impunity is close to 100 per cent. The highest number of verified cases were recorded in the Arab States (97), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (37), Asia-Pacific (34), Central and Eastern Europe (14), Africa (6), and Western Europe and North America (1). The State of Palestine saw the highest death toll in both years of the period, with 30 and 32 killings.

The findings come in the Director-General's Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity, published to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. UNESCO has measured the proportion of journalist killings that go unpunished since 2012.

The report identifies the growing use of drones to kill journalists as a disturbing new threat. Drone attacks killed 50 journalists during the two-year period, representing 40 per cent of all journalists killed in conflict zones. UNESCO documented seven incidents in which multiple journalists were killed in a single attack, including strikes on media workplaces. Fifteen journalists were reportedly killed while wearing press vests or in clearly marked press vehicles.

Director-General Khaled El-Enany said journalists are increasingly paying with their lives for reporting from the front lines of war and too often those responsible are not held accountable. Guterres called the level of impunity a "heinous affront" to victims and their loved ones, as well as all who depend on journalists to remain informed.

The report notes progress in non-conflict countries, where the impunity rate has fallen from 94 per cent in 2012 to 77 per cent in 2026. The number of journalist killings in non-conflict zones, 85, is the lowest in 18 years. UNESCO said this demonstrates that when governments invest in investigations, prosecutions and protections for journalists, progress is possible.

The report also draws attention to the particular risks faced by women journalists. Thirteen of the 14 women killed in 2024-2035 were in countries experiencing armed conflict. A separate 2025 study by UN Women and the International Center for Journalists found that 75 per cent of women journalists had experienced online or offline abuse and harassment, with more than 40 per cent reporting offline violence linked to online attacks, up from 20 per cent in a 2020 UNESCO survey.

Guterres called for justice, warning that “when journalists are targeted and their reporting is extinguished, it makes victims of us all.”