Getting Away With Murder 2016 Global Impunity Index A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists Getting Away With Murder 2016 Global Impunity Index A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists Published October 27, 2016 CPJ’s Impunity Index is compiled as part of the organization’s Global Campaign Against Impunity, which is made possible thanks in part to the Leon Levy Foundation. Cover Photo: A tribute to photojournalist Rubén Espinosa, who was murdered in Mexico City in 2015. No one has been convicted of his killing. (AFP/Hector Guerrero) Getting Away With Murder By Elisabeth Witchel, CPJ Impunity Campaign Consultant ome of the highest rates of impunity in the murders of journalists can be attributed to killings by Islamist Smilitant groups, CPJ found in its latest Global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go free. The worst country for the second year in a row is Somalia, where the militant group al-Shabaab is suspected in the majority of media murders, followed by Iraq and Syria, where members of the militant group Islamic State murdered at least six jour- nalists in the past year. Extremist groups have also repeatedly targeted journal- ists with impunity in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan, which all appear on the index for at least the second consecutive year. At the same time, violence perpetrated against journal- ists by criminal groups and local officials allowed impu- nity to tighten its grip in Latin America, with Brazil and Mexico each moving two spots higher on the index this year. Sri Lanka, where violence against journalists has reced- ed since the end of a decades-long civil war, dropped off A vigil marks the anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, in which 32 the list for the first time since CPJ began calculating the journalists and media workers were killed. No one has been prosecuted for the index in 2008. murders. (AFP/Noel Celis) The Impunity Index, published annually to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, calculates the number of un- during apprehension are also classified as partial impunity. solved murders over a 10-year period as a percentage of While militant extremists are responsible for the great- each country’s population. For this edition, CPJ analyzed est numbers of attacks against journalists in recent years, journalist murders in every nation that took place between they are not the only ones getting away with murder, nor September 1, 2006 and August 31, 2016. Only those na- are conflict zones the only place where impunity thrives. tions with five or more unsolved cases for this period are The Philippines is No. 4 on the index, its place cement- included on the index—a threshold that 13 countries met ed by a failure to prosecute any perpetrators behind the this year, compared with 14 last year. Cases are considered 2009 massacre in Maguindanao, in which 32 journalists unsolved when no convictions have been obtained; cases and media workers were slain. Aside from the Philippines, in which some but not all perpetrators are held to justice Mexico, and Brazil, criminal groups and government offi- are classified as partial impunity and are not included in cials are also leading suspects in murders of journalists in the tally. Cases in which the murder suspects are killed Russia and India. Each of those countries except Brazil has 3 Impunity Index 2016 CPJ's Impunity Index calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country's population. Only those nations with five or more unsolved cases are included. 10 Russia Afghanistan 7 2 Pakistan Syria 3 8 6 Mexico Iraq 11 Bangladesh 13 India Philippines Nigeria 12 4 5 1 Somalia South 9 Brazil Sudan Impunity Index countries that responded Source: CPJ data from to the UNESCO accountability mechanism. September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2016 appeared on the index since its inception. convicted perpetrators of journalist killings in the past CPJ recorded only four unsolved murders in Sri year, up from three countries in the previous year’s re- Lanka for the latest 10-year period, leading to its elimi- port. nation from the index. Amid the country’s becalmed In another positive development, more countries on political climate, no journalist there has been murdered this year’s index participated in UNESCO’s impunity ac- in direct connection to journalism since editor Lasantha countability mechanism, which requests information on Wickramatunga was killed in 2009. Justice has not been the status of investigations into killed journalists for the achieved in any murder—despite a pledge from President U.N. agency’s biennial report on journalist safety. In pre- Maithripala Sirisena to re-investigate old killings—but vious years, half of the countries on the index ignored this Wickramatunga’s case inched forward this year with one process. This year, only three states among the 13 index arrest and the exhumation of the editor’s body for a new countries—India, South Sudan, and Syria— failed to re- post-mortem examination. spond. Impunity is widely recognized as one of the greatest Among the other findings from CPJ’s data on mur- threats to press freedom, and international pressure to dered journalists: address it has mounted in recent years, with states, in- • The combined data from the 13 countries on the cluding some of the repeat offenders on this list, begin- index account for 80 percent of the unsolved mur- ning to respond. Six countries on the index—Bangladesh, ders that took place worldwide during the 10-year Brazil, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, and Somalia— period ending August 31, 2016. GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER: CPJ’S 2016 GLOBAL IMPUNITY INDEX • Eight of the 13 countries on the Impunity Index GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER have been listed each year since CPJ began the annual analysis in 2008, an indication of how en- IMPUNITY FACTS AND FIGURES trenched impunity is in some nations. • Despite their poor records in achieving justice, four countries on the Impunity Index—India, Mexico, Nigeria, and the Philippines—are on the governing council of the Community of Democracies, a co- alition dedicated to upholding and strengthening democratic norms. • In the past decade political groups, including Total murder cases where full justice, including Islamic State and other extremist organizations, prosecution of masterminds, has been achieved. are the suspected perpetrators in more than 40 percent of murder cases. Government and mili- tary officials are considered the leading suspects in nearly a quarter of the cases in the same period. • Around 95 percent of victims were local reporters. 40% of journalists More of them covered politics and corruption in received threats before they their home countries than any other beat. were murdered. • In at least 40 percent of cases, the victims reported receiving threats before they were killed. Threats are rarely investigated by authorities and in only a handful of cases is adequate protection provided. • In the past 10 years, around 30 percent of murdered 30% of journalists were journalists were first taken captive, the majority of taken captive before they whom were tortured, amplifying the killers’ mes- were murdered. sage of intimidation to the media community. • In only 3 percent of total murder cases over the de- cade has full justice, including the prosecution of the masterminds, been achieved. For a detailed explanation of CPJ’s methodology, see page 14. Number of countries to 40% of suspects are 25% of murder sus- appear on index every political groups, includ- pects are government year since 2008. ing extremists such as or military officials. Graphic source: CPJ research. Data based on unsolved cases of journalists Islamic State. murdred between September 1, 2006 and August 31, 2016. Design by Maha Masud. 5 The Index 1. SOMALIA Journalists killed with complete impunity in past decade: 24 Getting away with murder: Militant groups like Al-Shabaab Targeted for murder: Local journalists covering politics and culture, and those working for state-run media Progress: Since December 2015, military courts sentenced suspects in connection to six journalist murders, five of them attributed to one individual. Three men received the death penalty; the others, prison terms ranging from 15 years to life. Also, for the first time, Somalia responded to UNESCO’s request for the judicial status of killings in its country. Setback: Somalia’s use of military courts and the death penalty in murder cases has raised concerns among human rights advocates about lack of due process and harsh sentences. Illustrative case: In April 2015, armed men broke into the house of Daud Ali Omar, a producer for a pro-government radio station, and shot him and his wife as they slept. Al-Shabaab is suspected of being behind the attack, but no one has been apprehended. The couple had three children. 2. IRAQ Journalists killed with complete impunity in past decade: 71 Getting away with murder: The militant group Islamic State, government officials Targeted for murder: Local journalists covering politics, war, corruption, and human rights Progress: In November 2015, the government committed to reopening cases of crimes against journalists and monitoring attacks against the media in coordination with civil society. Setback: Islamic State kidnapped and killed at vleast six journalists in Mosul since the militant group seized the city in 2014. Illustrative case: In June 2015, Islamic State fighters kidnapped Jalaa al-Abadi, a cameraman for Nineveh Reporters Network, a group of journalists largely working anonymously out of Mosul. He was shot dead by the militants a month later; his family was contacted to pick up his remains. 3. SYRIA Journalists killed with complete impunity in past decade: 17 Getting away with murder: Islamic State and other militant groups, security forces Targeted for murder: Local journalists and foreign correspondents covering human rights, war, and politics GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER: CPJ’S 2016 GLOBAL IMPUNITY INDEX Progress: None.