UN Rights Chief Warns Press Freedom Under Global Siege

(MENAFN) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk sounded a urgent alarm on Sunday, warning that escalating attacks on journalists across the globe are eroding the very foundations of freedom, accountability, and democratic governance.

Speaking on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Turk framed a free press as "the oxygen of a free and open society," underscoring its indispensable role in shaping public discourse, exposing abuse, and holding power to account.

The figures he presented were damning. At least 14 journalists have already been killed in 2025 alone — while a decades-long pattern of impunity persists, with only roughly one in ten killings over the past twenty years resulting in full accountability.

Turk singled out Israel's war in Gaza as emblematic of the mortal dangers facing reporters in conflict zones, describing it as a "death trap" for media workers. Nearly 300 journalists have been killed there since October 2023 — a toll he called unconscionable.

The threat landscape, Turk stressed, extends far beyond active war zones. Surveillance, legal intimidation, and coordinated online harassment are increasingly weaponized against reporters globally — with women journalists bearing a disproportionate share of that burden.

Issuing a call to action directed at both governments and the technology sector, Turk demanded the persecution of journalists be brought to an end, restrictive press laws repealed, and perpetrators of attacks held to account. He also pressed tech companies to do more to combat disinformation and online abuse targeting media workers.

"Journalists cannot fight alone," Turk declared, urging the international community to step up protections before press freedom and democratic values suffer irreversible damage.

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