Attacks on journalists and media workers, particularly during election season, have become more prominent around the world, according to a report by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UNESCO bared the report on attacks against journalists during election day in conjunction with the observance of ‘International Day to Eliminate Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists’.
“Between January 2019 and June 2022, the UNESCO documented 759 individual attacks against journalists, including five killings, during 89 elections in 70 countries around the world,” The report stated.
Attacks against the Fourth Estate were also recorded by the UN body in at least 101 countries from January 2015 to August 2021. No less than 13 journalists reportedly met violent deaths in such contexts since 2015.
About 42 percent of the attacks were allegedly committed by police and security forces, with many government authorities having blocked public right to access to information by implementing internet and information blackouts during the periods.
“Police use of non-lethal ammunition ranging from rubber bullets to pepper balls have injured dozens of journalists, and many other journalists have been arrested, beaten and in a few cases humiliated,” the UNESCO reported.
“The abuse is different for female and male journalists. When men are publicly attacked, they are still given ‘serious’ roles. They are spies or foreign agents, whereas for women, there is usually a sexist connotation. We are often called “old bags” or “ugly,” Antonela Riha, a journalist from Serbia, was quoted in the report.
UNESCO’s data also reported that during 89 elections in 70 countries around the world from January 2019 to June 2022, a total of 759 journalists and media professionals were attacked.
It was also noted that 123 media outlets were attacked, ranging from threats, arson, and even suspensions.
Journalists have also been subjected to raids of media offices and the physical destruction of journalistic material in retaliation for coverage of protests, according to UNESCO.