On Wednesday, October 30th, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released its 2024 Global Impunity Index, identifying Haiti and Israel as the leading countries where murders of journalists often go unpunished. According to the CPJ, nearly 80% of journalist killings worldwide remain unresolved, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
Haiti ranks first on the index, struggling with gang violence that has destabilized the country’s institutions and left seven journalist murders unsolved. Israel, listed for the first time, follows closely, having failed to hold anyone accountable for the targeted killings of five journalists covering conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. CPJ reports that three of these journalists, clearly identified by their press vests, were killed while reporting in high-risk conflict zones.
“Murder is the ultimate weapon to silence journalists,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Once impunity takes hold, it sends a clear message: that killing a journalist is acceptable and that those who continue reporting may face a similar fate.” CPJ emphasized how this lack of accountability leads to “news deserts,” restricting local voices and creating an environment ripe for corruption.
The report also lists Somalia, Syria, and South Sudan in the top five, each grappling with long-standing conflicts and weakened legal systems that fail to protect journalists. Over the past decade, CPJ has documented 241 cases where journalists were killed in direct connection to their work, yet only a fraction of these cases have seen justice.
Additional countries frequently appearing on the index include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines, where journalists regularly face life-threatening risks. CPJ has called for an international task force to support investigations in regions where resources and political will are lacking, offering a framework initially proposed by a legal panel in 2020.
The findings indicate a serious global issue, highlighting the urgent demand for coordinated international actions to safeguard journalists and dismantle the cycle of impunity that endangers press freedom worldwide.
