1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2016-2017, a journalist was killed every four days. One witness silenced every four days. The total number of victims reached 182, with killings taking place in every region. These deaths shine a light on the extreme risks that can be faced by the individuals in this profession. Some of these fatal attacks occurred in countries previously unaffected by such extreme acts of vio- lence against journalists. However, not all regions In 2016-2017, were affected to the same degree. In 2017, the a journalist was killed largest number of killings took place in the Asia and the Pacific region (34% of all killings), while in every four days. 2016, the largest number of killings occurred in the Arab States (31%). An increase in the number of journalists killed outside of armed conflict zones can be noted in the last few years, with a majority of journalists (55%) in 2017 killed in countries not experiencing armed conflict. Many of these journalists were reporting on topics related to corruption, traffick- ing, and political wrongdoing. In line with observations of previous years, local journalists remain the vast majority among victims. A rise in the percentage of women journalists among those killed in 2017 (14%) marks the contin- uation of a trend that has become apparent over the last years. However, while the proportion of women among fatalities has risen, a clear majority of killed journalists are men. Impunity for these crimes remains a key challenge. Out of the 1010 killings recorded by UNESCO in the last 12 years, only 115 were followed by a judicial procedure that led to the conviction of one or multiple perpetrators. This means that 89% of cases remain unresolved. Impunity for crimes against journalists emboldens attackers and leads to self-censorship in the profession and among the public. The overall effect is to impede progress towards “public access to information and fundamental freedoms” which is an agreed target for the world in Sustainable Development Goal 16.10. This report focuses on the killing of journalists, the ultimate form of censorship. But it is just the tip of an iceberg of attacks against journalists, which range from non-lethal physical attacks, kidnap- ping, illegal detention, threats, harassment offline and online, to retaliations on family members. Increasing the safety of journalists worldwide and combating impunity for crimes committed against them requires a concerted effort of all stakeholders. For more information, please visit UNESCO’s new, interactive observatory of killed journalists: https://en.unesco.org/themes/safety-journalists/observatory 1 2.JOURNALISTS’ KILLINGS IN 2016 AND 2017: KEY FINDINGS In 2016 and 2017, UNESCO recorded 182 kill- ings of journalists worldwide. In 2016, 102 kill- ings were recorded, while 2017 showed a de- crease with the number of fatalities falling to 80, the lowest number since 2011. Overall, the number of killings in 2016-2017 is lower than that in the previous two-year period, when 213 killings were recorded. However, this trend does not appear to be confirmed in 2018, with 80 killings already condemned by the Direc- tor-General of UNESCO as of 09 October 2018. FIGURE 1: NUMBERFigure 1: Number OF JOURNALISTS of journalists killed worldwide in 2006-2017 KILLED WORLDWIDE IN 2006-2017 124 116 98 102 90 84 77 80 66 65 62 46 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2 2.1 MOST DANGEROUS REGIONS FIGURE 2: FIGURE 3: NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS KILLEDFigure 2: Number BY REGION of journalists IN 2017 killed by regionKILLED in 2016-2017 BY REGION IN 2016 2016 Arab states 2017 32 27 Asia and the Pacic Latin America 28 and the Caribbean Latin America 22 and the Caribbean 27 Asia and the Pacic 18 Arab states 6 Africa 7 Africa Western Europe Western Europe 5 and North America 6 and North America 2 Central and Eastern Europe 2 Central and Eastern Europe Total: 80 Total: 102 In 2017, the largest number of fatal attacks (27 In 2016, the same three regions recorded the killings) took place in the Asia and the Pacific highest numbers of killings; however the high- region, representing 34% of the total, followed est number of fatalities, namely 31% of the by Latin America and the Caribbean with 28% cases documented by UNESCO, was then re- of killings (22 killings). In the Arab States re- corded in the Arab States (32 killings). The sec- gion, UNESCO documented 18 killings, repre- ond deadliest region in 2016 was Latin Ameri- senting 22% of killings of journalists registered ca and the Caribbean with 27% of the total (28 worldwide. killings) followed by the Asia and the Pacific re- gion with 27 killings. In both years, less than 10% of overall killings took place in Africa, Western Europe and North America, and Central and Eastern Europe, respectively. 3 THE COUNTRIES WHERE THE COUNTRIES WHERE KILLINGS OCCURED IN KILLINGS OCCURED IN 2017 WERE: 2016 WERE: eico 13 fghanistan 13 fghanistan 11 eico 13 ra 8 emen 11 yrian rab epublic 7 ra 9 nia 5 yrian rab epublic 8 aistan 4 uatemala 7 the hilippines 4 rail 5 onuras 3 nia 5 omalia 3 aistan 4 urey 3 ibya 3 emen 3 omalia 3 ominican epublic 2 urey 3 igeria 2 anglaesh 2 ussian eeration 2 inlan 2 anglaesh 1 the hilippines 2 rail 1 urina aso 1 olombia 1 emocratic 1 epublic of ongo enmar 1 l alvaor 1 uatemala 1 uinea 1 alives 1 onuras 1 alta 1 oran 1 yanmar 1 yanmar 1 eru 1 eru 1 outh uan 1 erbia 1 outh uan 1 raine 1 the nite tates 1 of merica In 2016 and 2017, the two countries with the highest number of fatalities were Afghanistan and Mexico. In 2017, 13 journalists were killed in Mexico and 11 lost their lives in Afghanistan, while in 2016, both countries each suffered the loss of 13 journalists. 4 2.2 RISE IN NUMBER OF WOMEN JOURNALISTS AMONG FATALITIES A trend already noticeable Apart from killings, women Among them, around 40 per- in previous years, namely journalists are also affected cent said they avoided report- the rising number of wom- by gender-specific safety risks ing certain stories as a conse- en journalists among killed such as sexual harassment, quence of online harassment. media personnel, has con- sexual violence and threats of Fifty-eight percent of the tinued. In 2017, UNESCO re- violence. Recent studies have women journalists surveyed corded the highest number shown that women journal- stated that they already been of killed women journalists ists are particularly affected threatened or harassed in (11 victims) since the IPDC by online harassment.1 person, while 26% indicated started reporting on killings that they had been physically of journalists in 2006. In 2016, In a report published in 2018 attacked. 2 there were 10 female victims by Trollbusters and the In- compared to five in 2012. The ternational Women’s Media Harassment against women percentage of women among Foundation, a survey conduct- journalists often takes the the fatalities represented 14% ed among 597 women jour- form of personal attacks, in 2017, compared to 10% in nalists and media workers re- which tend not to focus on 2016 and 4% in 2012. vealed that nearly two out of the content of the journalist’s three respondents stated that article or broadcast, but rath- Killings of women journalists they had been threatened or er on the woman’s charac- occurred in 2016-2017 in all harassed online at least once. ter or body parts, and in the regions with the exception of more extreme cases include Central and Eastern Europe. threats of sexual violence.3 FIGURE 4: NUMBER OF KILLED WOMEN JOURNALISTS WORLDWIDE 2006-2017 record high: 12 11 victims 10 8 6 4 2 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 1 For more information, please see studies by the International Federation of Journalists (2017), the International Women’s Media Foundation (2018), Reporters without Borders (2018) and Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (2016) (among others). 2 See ‘Attacks and Harassment: The Impact on Female Journalists and Their Reporting’, Trollbusters and the International Women’s Media Foundation, 2018. 3 ‘Countering Online Abuse of Female Journalists’, Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, 2016. 5 Men continue to represent an FIGURE 5: overwhelming majority (86% in 2017) of victims of fatal at- PERCENTAGEFigure 4: Percentage OF MEN of men AND and WOMEN women tacks against journalists. The AMONGamong journalists JOURNALISTS killed inKILLED 2017 IN 2017 percentage of female journal- ists killed is significantly lower Women Men than women’s overall repre- sentation among journalists. This may be due to the fact that fewer women journalists are working in dangerous ar- eas and, at least in some re- gions, covering sensitive top- ics such as political corruption or organized crime. Recent 14 86 research has suggested that % prevailing stereotypes can sometimes prevent women journalists from being sent on assignments in in high-risk areas, which might contribute to this gap.4 4 Elaborated in the UNESCO Report on World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development, page 154. 2.3 HIGHEST NUMBER OF KILLINGS AMONG TV JOURNALISTS Like in the preceding two- 19 TV journalists were killed year period, TV journalists in Afghanistan, 15 were killed constituted the largest group in Iraq, six died in Syria and among the victims. In 2017, eight in Yemen. TV journal- almost half of the killed jour- ists, camera operators and nalists (45%) were working support staff such as driv- in television outlets while in ers and technicians regularly 2016, those working in this work from the frontlines and sector represented 34% of all are therefore under high risk victims.