A report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has said that 1,628 journalists have been unjustly killed in Nigeria and other parts of the world from 2006 to date.
The UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists unveiled on Thursday coincided with November 2 set aside by the United Nations for the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
The findings listed 13 Nigerian newsmen to have been killed from 2006 to 2023 in various unjust circumstances, regretting the ceaseless impunity by governments and the court where justice is scarce as human rights abuses and corruption thrive.
It said: “Between 2006 and 2023, over 1,600 journalists have been killed around the world, with close to 9 out of 10 cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved.
“Impunity leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems. UNESCO is concerned that impunity damages whole societies by covering up serious human rights abuses, corruption, and crime.
“Governments, civil society, the media, and everyone concerned to (should) uphold the rule of law are being asked to join in the global efforts to end impunity.
“It is in recognition of the far-reaching consequences of impunity, especially of crimes against journalists, that the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/68/163 at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ (IDEI).
“The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
“Every two years, the awareness raising campaign for the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists coincides with the findings of the UNESCO Director-General’s Report outlining the current state of global and regional impunity.”
