PARIS, November 2. /TASS/. A total of 189 journalists were killed in connection with their professional activities in 2024-2025, up 20% from 2022-2023, according to a report by the UNESCO Director General on the safety of journalists and the risk of impunity for crimes against them.
Of the deaths recorded in the report, 127 occurred in combat zones. The document noted that 40% of these journalists were killed by drone strikes. The highest number of journalists were killed in Palestine: 62, followed by Mexico: 17, and Sudan: 14. According to UNESCO, the conflict in Ukraine claimed the lives of 12 media workers during the period in question.
"Local and international war reporters face increased safety risks, especially due to direct exposure to crossfire as well as deliberate targeting even far away from the frontline. In conflict zones, groups of journalists totalling 36 were reportedly killed in temporary field media houses and workplaces in four countries. In one instance, a single attack led to the killing of nine journalists," the report said.
Over the past 20 years, UNESCO has recorded the deaths of 1,600 journalists, yet only 14% of these cases have been investigated. Meanwhile, according to the document, the proportion of unresolved investigations in countries without armed conflict has fallen from 94% in 2012 to 77% in 2026.
"Nevertheless, the commitment to press freedom is more urgent than ever, as it remains under severe threat in both conflict and non-conflict settings, and journalists continue to pay a heavy price," UNESCO Director General Khaled El-Enany emphasized.