According to the entity, 55 media workers were murdered around the world in 2021, which represents the lowest number of annual deaths in the sector in over a decade, however, it denounced the low level of clarification of these crimes.

UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay highlighted the enormous risk journalists face and called for more to be done to ensure their safety.

“Right now the world needs independent and objective information more than ever, so we must protect those who work tirelessly to provide it and who can do so without fear,” she stressed.

According to the UNESCO Observatory of Murdered Journalists, two-thirds of the 55 murders occurred in countries that do not suffer from armed conflict, proving the continuing risks journalists face in their daily work to expose irregularities.

This represents a complete reversal of the situation of a few years ago, since in 2013 two thirds of crimes took place in nations in conflict.

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