On November 2, 2026, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), the IPI global network calls on states and the international community to take urgent, concrete action to address the unacceptably high rate of impunity for crimes against the press. Countering the acceleration of authoritarianism, corruption, inequity, and conflict around the globe starts with tackling impunity for attacks on journalists and other public watchdogs.
Powerful state and non-state actors target and kill journalists without consequence, both in and outside conflict zones. More than 1,600 journalists have been killed in the course of doing their work over the past two decades, according to UNESCO, and in six out of seven cases, no one has been held to account. Beyond murder, journalists and media workers around the world face growing harassment, arrests, unlawful surveillance, and violence, often with no recourse.
When crimes against journalists go unpunished, the danger extends beyond the media to society as a whole. As research shows, attacks on the press and the resulting decline in press freedom are a leading driver of the breakdown of the rule of law and of the vital accountability systems that protect citizens from abuses of power. That breakdown emboldens the powerful to commit further abuses, creating an escalating cycle of corruption, deepening inequality, corporate exploitation, environmental destruction, and violence.
Read IPI’s explainer: Why breaking the cycle of impunity for crimes against journalists strengthens the rule of law and helps build free and fair societies
Policymakers committed to countering corruption, inequality, exploitation, violence, and other abuses of power must therefore prioritise tackling impunity for crimes against journalists and other public watchdogs as a foundation for restoring trust in public institutions and the rule of law. Efforts to fortify and renew democracy will fall short unless states, individually and collectively, take action to address impunity for crimes against those who serve as society’s indispensable checks on power.
For decades, IPI has stood together with its global network of leading journalists and editors to sound the alarm over escalating, unpunished attacks on the press, warning policymakers of the serious consequences of inaction. Today, we are seeing the result of states’ and the international community’s failure to respond to these warnings by taking concrete action to address these abuses. Authoritarianism, corruption, conflict, and violence are proliferating as political and corporate elites amass unprecedented, unchecked power in many parts of the world.
Meanwhile, citizens worldwide consistently reject corruption and demand accountability from those in power. Surveys from Europe to Africa and Latin America show majorities who see corruption as widespread and believe governments are not doing enough to stop it.
IPI strongly urges policymakers to heed the public’s demand for systems based on fairness and the rule of law by taking concrete action to end impunity for crimes against journalists – a prerequisite for stemming the tide of corruption and instability, and for ensuring that everyone’s rights and freedoms are respected and protected.