UN experts call for end to impunity for attacks on journalists
The experts cited a 2026 UN report documenting nearly 300 journalists killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories since October 2023.
UN experts called on states on Monday to strengthen investigations and prosecutions of attacks on journalists, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The experts made the appeal on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, warning that a lack of accountability lets violence against the press continue across generations and borders.
They said impunity is more than the absence of justice after an attack, describing it as a catalyst for future attacks that signals perpetrators are unlikely to face accountability.
Citing UNESCO data, the experts said more than 1,800 journalists were killed worldwide between 2006 and 2025, and close to nine in ten of those killings remain unresolved in court.
They also said journalists face arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, physical violence, online attacks, surveillance, intimidation and judicial harassment.
The experts said investigations should examine who ordered, planned, financed or benefited from an attack, not only who carried it out, including whether the crime was linked to the journalist's work.
Palestinian journalists
The experts highlighted the situation of Palestinian journalists, citing a 2026 report by the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
The report documents nearly 300 journalists killed by Israeli forces since October 2023 and more than 400 wounded, and identifies around 70 journalists allegedly killed in reprisal for their work.
The report calls for prompt, independent investigations and the preservation of journalistic material as potential evidence in future accountability proceedings.
The experts also pointed to guidelines on protecting journalists in armed conflict, which reaffirm that journalists are civilians protected under international humanitarian law.
They said reporting, criticism or perceived political views do not make journalists legitimate military targets, citing Gaza as an example of why protection and accountability go together.
The experts urged states to investigate all attacks promptly and independently, protect victims, witnesses and their families, and ensure accountability at all levels of responsibility.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is observed each year on Nov. 2.
