International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

  Freedom of expression in Europe and Central Asia continues to polarise. • While nearly half of the regional population lives in ‘Open’ countries, more than a third now lives in countries ranked as ‘In Crisis’. • All countries in the global Top 10 are in Europe and Central Asia, but numerous countries in the region are experiencing severe downturns. • Over the last decade, 26 countries in the region experienced declines in freedom of expression, but only 3 of these were significant (score drops of at least 20 points): Georgia (27 points), Kyrgyzstan (23), and Belarus (21). Just 3 countries advanced over the same period – but none of these were significant. • In the last year, 6 countries experienced declines, 3 of which were significant (score drops of 5 points or more). The biggest declines took place in Georgia (16 points), Moldova (11), and Slovakia (7). Just 1 country in the region advanced during the same period: Poland’s score increased by 19 points, shifting it into the ‘O...

  Declines in expression are outpacing advances in Sub-Saharan Africa. • There are no countries in this region ranked as ‘Open’ – and nearly a quarter of the region’s population lives in a country ‘In Crisis’. • Over the last decade, 20 countries experienced declines in expression, 5 of which were significant (score drops of at least 20 points). The largest drops were in Burkina Faso (a decline of 49 points), Mozambique (32 points), and Togo (29). • Only 3 countries in the region advanced in expression over the last decade, and only 1 of those was significant: The Gambia, which advanced by 64 points, and which was an outlier. • Despite the regional score remaining stagnant, 4 countries experienced declines in expression in the last year, all of which were significant (score drops of at least 5 points). The largest of these took place in the same countries that experienced the largest declines in the last decade: Burkina Faso (18 points), Mozambique (18), and Togo (12). • No countri...

  83% of people in Asia and the Pacific live in countries ranked as ‘In Crisis’ or ‘Highly Restricted’. • Over the last decade, 12 countries experienced declines in freedom of expression, half of which (6) were significant (score drops of 20 points or more). The biggest declines took place in Hong Kong (China) (49 points), Afghanistan (40), and the Philippines (25). • Over the same period, 5 countries advanced, with 3 of these experiencing significant improvement: Sri Lanka (32 points), Fiji (24), and the Maldives (22). • In the last year, there were no additional declines in expression in the region. • 1 country advanced in the last year, and its score change was significant (more than 5 points): Sri Lanka (14 points). Expression Score vs. Human Score Asia and the Pacific 2000 - 2024 Over the last decade, 3.7 billion people across 12 countries in Asia and the Pacific suffered a deterioration of their freedom of expression – nearly 30 times the number of people who experienced adva...

  The Middle East and North Africa region has the lowest Expression Score of any region. • Nearly everyone in the Middle East and North Africa lives in a country in one of the bottom 2 expression categories – and not a single country in the region is ranked as ‘Open’. • In the last decade, 8 countries experienced declines in freedom of expression, but only 1 of these was significant (a score drop of 20 points or more): Tunisia’s score decreased by 25 points. • The only country in the region that declined over the last year declined significantly (a score drop of 5 points or more): Palestine dropped by 7 points, moving from ‘Highly Restricted’ to ‘In Crisis’. • Only 1 country in the region experienced advances in expression over the last year, but its score change was not significant. Eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa declined over the last decade, and only one country improved: Syria, whose score rose from 1 to 2 – still comfortably in the ‘In Crisis’ category. Si...

  • Over the last decade, 11 countries in the region experienced declines in their freedom of expression, of which 3 were significant (score drops of 20 points or more): El Salvador (49 points), Nicaragua (31), and Peru (24). • 3 countries in the regions experienced advances in their expression over the last decade, but none of these were significant. • Over the last year, 2 countries in the region experienced declines in their freedom of expression, both of which were significant (score drops of 5 points or more): Argentina (19 points) – which moved from a ranking of ‘Open’ down into the category of ‘Less Restricted’ – and Peru (12). • In the last year, only 1 country in the region advanced: Guatemala’s score rose 16 points, meaning it is now ranked as ‘Less Restricted’. Over the last decade, 663 million people across 11 countries in the Americas suffered a deterioration of their freedom of expression – more than 16 times the number of people who experienced advances. ...

Ending impunity for crimes against journalists is one of the most important and complex challenges of recent times. It is an essential precondition to guarantee freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens. This year's observance highlights the threats women journalists face in the digital space and the chilling effect this can have on freedom of expression more broadly. Digital transformation has created new opportunities for expression and activism, while also giving rise to heightened risks. Women are particularly impacted by these risks, especially those in public-facing roles such as journalists, politicians, and scientists . They face AI-driven threats , including the spread of gendered disinformation, surveillance, deepfakes and other forms of harassment. This emerging issue, also known as technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), has become alarmingly prevalent, particularly with the rise of generative artificial intelligence. “Chat GBV” ...

This year, the global commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 2025 takes place on November 2nd in Paris as a virtual event . Learn more about the  Celebrations around the world .

AI-powered threats are cyberattacks that use artificial intelligence to create more convincing, evasive, and large-scale attacks. These threats include highly personalized phishing emails , AI-generated malware that evades detection, and deepfake voice and video to impersonate trusted individuals for fraud. To combat these risks, organizations are focusing on improving security hygiene, deploying autonomous defense systems, and increasing oversight with real-time intelligence . Some Examples of AI-powered threats AI-powered phishing : Generative AI creates highly realistic and personalized phishing emails, SMS messages, or social media messages that are tailored to the recipient, increasing their chances of success. AI-generated malware : AI can be used to develop malware that continuously mutates its code to bypass traditional signature-based security, and to make it more adaptable and harder to detect. Deepfakes: Attackers use AI to create realistic audio and video of people, suc...

.  The 10-year anniversary was a milestone to Reaffirm, Recommit and Reposition efforts to advance the UN Plan. The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is the first concerted effort within the UN to address attacks and impunity of crimes against journalists , with a multi-stakeholder and holistic approach. It brings together UN bodies, national authorities, media, and civil society organizations. Since the plan was adopted, the issue of safety of journalists has gained a higher visibility in the UN, as evidenced by the increasing number of declarations, resolutions and other normative texts , and the UN Secretary General’s Call to Action for Human Rights . Protecting journalists is also part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . The Plan has also contributed to building international coalitions of governments and civil society and served to bring about changes on the ground, such as the creation of national safety mechanisms in at...