Impunity: Justice for journalists demands accountability for criminal masterminds

To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates around the world urge governments to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the murder of journalists as well as to ensure that those who orchestrate such crimes are brought to justice. According to UNESCO, only one in seven cases of murdered journalists is judicially resolved. “As impunity persists and journalists continue to be murdered, the adoption of the IFJ-led International Convention on the Safety of Journalists can no longer be delayed. States must act now to end impunity and ensure the masterminds are held accountable,” said IFJ President Zuliana Lainez.

Journalism remains a dangerous profession, sometimes with lethal consequences. In 2026, 15 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in connection with their work: five in Palestine, five in Lebanon, two in Colombia, two in Yemen and one in Somalia, according to the IFJ’s latest data. While this figure is significantly lower than the 99 journalists recorded at the same time last year, the killing of any journalist is unacceptable and must be investigated. 

According to the UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists, between 2006 and 2025, over 1,600 journalists have been killed around the world, with close to six out of seven cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved. This year, the IFJ has decided to highlight cases that represent this minority, particularly those in which the masterminds behind these crimes have been successfully tried and justice has been served for the murdered journalists and their loved ones. In these rare but successful cases, a common pattern emerges: justice has not been served due to political will, but rather thanks to intense advocacy efforts from the journalists’ families, journalistic community, press freedom groups and civil society. This underscores the need for a specific and binding UN convention that would oblige states to protect journalists, investigate crimes and prosecute perpetrators. 

Philippines: Governor convicted for murder of journalist Gerry Ortega

Environmental journalist and radio show host Gerry Ortega was shot dead in Palawan, in the Mimaropa region, in January 2011 after exposing widespread local government corruption. The suspected mastermind behind the murder, former Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes, successfully evaded justice for over 13 years through legal obstructions and by fleeing the country. On 11 September 2024, after years of intense advocacy by press freedom groups including the IFJ, Reyes voluntarily surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation office in Metro Manila. Reyes was finally convicted in August 2025 and sentenced to 110 years in prison for corruption, linked to the Malampaya Gas Fund irregularities that Ortega had exposed on his radio programme.

Colombia: Congressman convicted for murder of journalist Orlando Sierra Hernández

Journalist Orlando Sierra Hernández, deputy editor of the local  newspaper La Patria, was shot in Manizales, western Colombia, in January 2002 and died two days later. His murder was linked to his reporting and opinion columns on both corruption and local political power in the department of Caldas. The case became a rare example of substantial justice for a murdered journalist in Latin America. The gunman and other participants in the execution were convicted, and in 2015 former congressman Ferney Tapasco González was sentenced as the intellectual author of the crime. The conviction was later upheld by Colombia’s Supreme Court. The IFJ highlights a significant step here: the judicial decision that established responsibility across the entire criminal chain, from the material perpetrators to the mastermind who ordered the killing. The journalistic community also played an important role in advancing the search for justice. Several major Colombian media outlets came together to create the Manizales Project. This collaborative investigation uncovered evidence about the political interests behind the crime, contributed material later used in the criminal investigation, and helped maintain public pressure for the case to be fully investigated.

Denmark: Man convicted of killing Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall

In August 2017, Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall was killed while on board a civilian submarine with its inventor, Peter Madsen. Wall – who had written for publications such as The Guardian, The New York Times and the South China Morning Post – had been planning to write an article about Madsen’s homemade submarine. She boarded the boat in Copenhagen Harbour on 10 August 2017. Her body was found on a beach south of Copenhagen on 21 August, ten days after she went missing. In April 2018, Madsen was found guilty of premeditated murder, aggravated sexual assault and desecrating a corpse, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. 

IFJ President Zuliana Lainez said: “Every day, journalists are targeted, intimidated, attacked and murdered for holding those in power to account. Too often, the chain of impunity reaches the highest levels of power, allowing those who orchestrate these crimes to evade justice. This cycle of violence and impunity must end. We urge all UN Member States to support the IFJ-led International Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists, a binding legal instrument that would require states to protect journalists, investigate crimes and prosecute perpetrators. There can be no press freedom without accountability. There can be no justice for journalists when criminal masterminds walk free.”

Who ordered the killing? Who planned the crime? Who is ultimately responsible? These are questions that cannot remain unanswered. The IFJ and its affiliates around the world are calling on governments to investigate and prosecute those responsible for crimes against journalists. Justice for journalist killings is denied when the criminal masterminds still walk free.


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