UN Chief Calls for Justice, End to Attacks on Journalists Worldwide

By Marcus Nkire

In commemoration of this year’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI), United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has renewed calls for global action to protect press freedom and bring perpetrators of crimes against journalists to justice. The news initially broken as per the Guardian, emphasized on media protection across all corners of the country.

In a statement on Saturday, Guterres lamented the growing dangers faced by media professionals worldwide in their pursuit of truth, noting that journalists continue to endure verbal abuse, legal harassment, imprisonment, and even death for doing their work.

“On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we demand justice,” he said. “Worldwide, nearly nine out of ten journalist killings remain unresolved.”

Describing Gaza as the “deadliest place for journalists in any conflict,” Guterres urged for independent and impartial investigations into attacks on members of the press. He stressed that impunity anywhere is not only an injustice to victims and their families but also “an assault on press freedom, an invitation to further violence, and a threat to democracy itself.”

The UN Chief further called on governments to investigate every attack on journalists, prosecute offenders, and ensure that media professionals can operate freely and safely. He also raised concern over the rising wave of online abuse targeting women journalists, urging the creation of safer digital spaces.

“When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice,” he said. “Let us stand together to defend press freedom, demand accountability, and ensure those who speak truth to power can do so without fear.”

Meanwhile, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has released a 129-page report titled “When Protectors Become Predators: The State Against Freedom of Expression in Nigeria,” documenting a disturbing trend of attacks, intimidation, and harassment of journalists by state security agencies.

According to MRA, government officials were responsible for nearly 74 percent of all violations of press freedom recorded in Nigeria between January 1 and October 31, 2025, with the Nigeria Police Force accounting for 45 percent of the incidents. Other perpetrators include operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), military and paramilitary agencies, and political office holders.

The report recorded at least 69 incidents of arbitrary arrests, detentions, physical assaults, abductions, and raids on media offices within the period under review.

MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Ayode Longe, condemned the situation, saying, “Journalists in Nigeria are increasingly under siege — not just from criminals or insurgents, but from the very state institutions charged with protecting them.”

He described the trend as “a direct assault on democracy and the rule of law,” emphasizing that the Nigerian government has both a constitutional and international legal duty to protect journalists and uphold the public’s right to information.

The rights group urged the Federal Government to establish and enforce accountability mechanisms for officials implicated in attacks on journalists, and to reform security and law enforcement agencies to ensure respect for human rights and media freedom.