Murders of journalists in Latin America: impunity prevails in the region

November 2 marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. In Latin America, 31 journalists have been murdered so far in 2022 and 95% of the crimes remain unpunished.

The date was instituted by the United Nations in 2013 after the murder of French journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon while they were working in Mali that same year.

According to data from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), so far in 2022, 31 journalists have been murdered in eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. 95% of crimes remain unpunished.

Mexico is the most dangerous country in the region and the world to practice journalism: in 2022, 15 crimes have been committed against press workers, twice as many as in 2021.

In none of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where journalists were killed have there been declared armed conflicts. Only in Haiti is there a serious internal crisis that affects the country at all levels, including security, with armed confrontations, and where journalists have been victims of both criminal groups and law enforcement.

Seven journalists have been murdered in Haiti so far in 2022. The latest case is that of Romelo Vilcin, at the hands of the Police. The crime took place when Vilcin went together with several colleagues to a police station in Port-au-Prince to express his support and solidarity with the journalist Robest Dimanche, who had been detained and beaten by the police forces.

MURDERS OF JOURNALISTS: THE NUMBERS OF UNESCO

According to the latest biennial report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity, between 2020 and 2021, 117 journalists were murdered all over the world.

• In that period, Latin America and the Caribbean was the second region with the most murders, 38.
• Most of the murders recorded in 2020-2021 occurred in the homes of journalists and outside of newsrooms.
• Mexico was the country with the most journalists killed in 2020 and 2021, with 10 and 9 fatalities, respectively.
• 78% of the homicides (91) occurred outside newsrooms and workspaces or during journalistic missions: most were recorded in the homes of journalists or during their displacement.
• In 2022, solved homicides globally grew slightly compared to 2018. Even so, the impunity rate is 86%.

With information from Sputnik