Haiti, Israel most likely to let journalists’ murders go unpunished, CPJ 2024 impunity index shows - Committee to Protect Journalists 10/31/24, 10:37 AM get away with murder, including: • Pakistan has appeared on the impunity index every year since it began in 2008. Improper evidence collection, limited resources, political interference, and corruption have repeatedly resulted in ine"ective investigations and prosecutions for journalist killings. CPJ has con!rmed that at least two Pakistani journalists were killed in direct retaliation for their work so far in 2024, and is investigating four other possible work-related killings. • #e Philippines, also on the index every year since 2008 and frequently in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot, has logged an unsolved murder of a journalist almost every year since 1992. Full justice remains elusive for the 32 reporters and media workers killed in the Maguindanao massacre 15 years ago – one of the deadliest attacks on the press – as well as journalists like Gerry Ortega, a radio broadcaster killed in 2011. • Iraq ended its six-year hiatus in work-related murders in 2024 with the targeting of two women journalists. Islamic State (IS) militants and Turkish anti-Kurdish forces were behind most of the 11 murders in the index period. A 2024 CPJ report to the United Nations noted that crimes against journalists are rarely investigated, which has fueled continuing attacks on the press. As the violence ticks up, media restrictions, censorship, and threats against journalists – both in Baghdad and in Iraqi Kurdistan – continue apace. • Afghanistan has recorded 18 journalists murdered in the last decade, with the militant Islamic State claiming responsibility for 13 deaths, most notably in a 2018 double suicide bombing. #e Taliban, despite its opposition to the IS, has not pursued justice for those killed and continues to harass, attack, and detain journalists and ban news outlets. • India has been on the index every year since its inception, with crime playing a predominant role in the 19 journalist murders over the past decade. #e victims were targeted for reporting on various topics, from politics to the environment. #e latest murder occurred during India’s national elections this year, which also saw fresh election violence and new legislation likely to sti$e press freedom. Like Haiti and Israel, Myanmar is a newer arrival to the index, making its !rst appearance in 2022. #e number of journalists murdered with impunity in Myanmar climbed to eight, with three new cases documented in 2024. #e surge in killings comes amid a harsh crackdown on the free press, as the military has jailed dozens of journalists and banned over a dozen independent media outlets since seizing power in 2021. International investigative force could bolster UN laws against journalist impunity https://cpj.org/thematic-reports/haiti-israel-most-likely-to-let-journalists-murders-go-unpunished-cpj-2024-impunity-index-shows/ Page 9 of 21