Haiti, Israel Lead in Journalist Murder Impunity

Haiti and Israel are “now the world’s biggest offenders in letting journalists’ murderers go unpunished,” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based NGO that protects press freedoms, after the two countries landed at the top of the 2024 Global Impunity Index.

The Global Impunity Index considers how many murders of journalists remain unsolved proportional to a country’s population.

Haiti landed in first place with seven murders. The country has seen escalating gang violence in recent years following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and a collapse of government control over large parts of the capital, Port au Prince. 

The political instability, a “weak-to-nonexistent” judiciary, and poverty have contributed to the failure to hold killers to account, according to the CPJ report.

Because of its slightly larger population, Israel ranked second with eight murders of journalists. 

During the last year of relentless and brutal war in Gaza, Israel killed a record number of media workers, including five confirmed targeted killings. The NGO stated that it was investigating ten more cases in which journalists were deliberately targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

CPJ’s count for Israel also included Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed by the IDF while reporting on cross border clashes in South Lebanon.

The remaining three countries in the top five of the list are: Somalia, Syria, and South Sudan. 

Shockingly, the report highlights how impunity for journalist killings remains endemic, with four out of five murderers of journalists evading accountability.

“Globally, impunity remains entrenched, as no one is held to account in almost 80% of the cases where journalists have been directly targeted in retaliation for their work,” read a CPJ press release.

The report calls for an international focus on improving journalist protections and highlights that combating impunity is crucial to safeguarding journalists and the free flow of information.

“Murder is the ultimate weapon to silence journalists,” read a statement by CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “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.”