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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has identified Haiti and Israel as the leading countries where journalists’ murders have gone unpunished, reflecting widespread global impunity for such crimes. In its 2024 Global Impunity Index, CPJ reports that almost 80 percent of journalists killed worldwide in retaliation for their reporting have not received justice. The findings underscore severe obstacles to press freedom globally, with Haiti and Israel exemplifying regions where journalist safety is increasingly compromised.
Haiti’s surge in impunity amid gang violence
Since its first appearance on the index in 2023, Haiti has seen a rapid escalation in impunity. Widespread gang violence has overpowered the country’s judiciary, weakening its ability to prosecute crimes, including journalist murders. Haiti tops the index this year due to the unsolved murders of seven journalists over the past decade, illustrating the impact of criminal influence on institutional stability.
Israel’s inaugural ranking amid conflict in Gaza and Lebanon
For the first time, Israel has ranked on the CPJ index, placing second due to five unresolved journalist murders in Gaza and Lebanon. These journalists, who were covering the ongoing conflict, were reportedly targeted, with some wearing press vests at the time of their deaths. CPJ is further investigating at least 10 additional cases of journalist fatalities in these conflict zones, noting that the actual number of journalists targeted could be significantly higher.
Since the escalation of violence in October 2023, Israel has recorded a historic high in Palestinian journalist deaths. CPJ emphasized that deliberate targeting of journalists in conflict zones constitutes a war crime, underscoring the urgent need for accountability.
Global concerns: A decade of rising impunity
Rounding out the top five countries on the 2024 index are Somalia, Syria, and South Sudan, each with longstanding records of unresolved journalist murders. These nations, along with 10 others on the list, face a combination of political instability, organized crime, and inadequate government intervention, allowing impunity to persist. This pattern threatens to erode press freedom, particularly in areas where journalists report on critical social and political issues.
CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg highlighted the impact of unpunished violence against journalists, stating, “Murder is the ultimate weapon to silence journalists. 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.”
