This year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists will hold November 2 and 3. The commemoration is holding at the headquarters of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington D.C.

Organised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in partnership with the Secretary General of the OAS, the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and Office of Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE), the event will focus on the interconnections between violence against journalists, integrity of elections and role of public leadership.

The conversation will also interrogate contemporary challenges for a safe and free exercise of journalism. This occasion will feature multiple panels and discussions, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including former special rapporteurs, academia, civil society organisations, states, United Nations agencies, and any other individuals dedicated to improving journalists’ safety worldwide.

The day also aims to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the OAS Special Rapporteurship establishment and 30th anniversary of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, two specialised offices that are of importance in safeguarding freedom of expression globally.

According to UNESCO, ending impunity for crimes against journalists is one of the most pressing issues that will guarantee freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens.

Between 2006 and 2020, over 1,200 journalists were killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public. In nine out of 10 cases, killers go unpunished, according to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists. Impunity leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems.

The organisation added, while killings are the most extreme form of media censorship, journalists are also subjected to countless threats – ranging from kidnapping, torture and other physical attacks to harassment, particularly, in the digital sphere.

Threats of violence and attacks against journalists create a climate of fear for media professionals, impeding the free circulation of information, opinions and ideas for all citizens. Women journalists are, particularly, impacted by threats and attacks, notably by those made online.

In UNESCO’s discussion paper, ‘The Chilling: Global trends in online violence against women journalists’, 73 per cent of women journalists surveyed said they had been threatened, intimidated and insulted online in connection with their work.

In many cases, threats of violence and attacks against journalists are not properly investigated. This impunity emboldens the perpetrators of the crimes and at the same time has a chilling effect on society, including journalists themselves.

UNESCO is concerned that impunity damages whole societies by covering up serious human rights abuses, corruption and crime. On the other hand, justice systems that vigorously investigate all threats of violence against journalists send a powerful message that society will not tolerate attacks against journalists and against the right to freedom of expression for all.