Impunity Begins Long Before Journalists Are Murdered, Experts Warn

In his introduction, Rock emphasized the importance of moving from denunciation to action and highlighted regional initiatives aimed at breaking cycles of impunity. These include the Journalistic Response Unit (URP), a project launched by the IAPA with support from UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund.

The URP investigates and documents cases of murdered journalists whose files remain unresolved. It reviews evidence, reconstructs the circumstances surrounding the crimes, identifies inconsistencies, and explores potential legal avenues to reopen cases or advance stalled investigations. The initiative seeks to help move these cases forward and ultimately bring about truth and justice.

Impunity does not begin with murder

For Jaramillo, one of the main mistakes governments make is viewing impunity solely through the lens of murders of journalists. The FLIP director noted that, in Colombia, a journalist is threatened on average every two days, and many of those threats are never investigated. When that happens, she explained, impunity becomes a factor that enables further attacks and even killings.

As an example, she cited Colombian journalist Rafael Moreno, who reported nearly 40 threats linked to his investigations into corruption before he was murdered in 2022. According to Jaramillo, the authorities’ failure to respond effectively allows threats to escalate into lethal violence.

The lawyer also noted that 172 journalists have been murdered in Colombia since 1977, while numerous high-profile cases, including those of Guillermo Cano Isaza, Julio Daniel Chaparro, Jorge Torres, and Gerardo Bedoya, continue to face decades of impunity or incomplete investigations.

Organized crime is gaining ground

Adriana León addressed the situation in Peru, warning of the rapid deterioration of conditions for journalism in areas controlled by criminal networks. She explained that the expansion of drug trafficking, illegal mining, and other forms of organized crime is increasingly undermining journalists’ ability to investigate matters of public interest.

“We have encountered journalists who possess extremely important information but cannot publish it because they are afraid,” she said. León noted that the situation has forced IPYS to strengthen its journalist safety programs, including temporary shelters, specialized assistance, and physical protection measures. “Just a few days ago, I had to buy three bulletproof vests for Peruvian journalists,” she said.

The journalist also warned about the phenomenon of “news blackouts,” which are becoming increasingly common in regions where violence and the absence of state protection limit the ability of local and community media to report the news.

Stigmatization by those in power

One of the points that drew the greatest consensus among panelists was the impact of hostile rhetoric against the press promoted by government officials themselves. Pedro Vaca warned that several countries in the region are experiencing a particularly troubling period because of the growing use of narratives that portray journalists as political adversaries or enemies.

“It is difficult today to find a country in the hemisphere where the president is not in some way stigmatizing the work of journalists,” he said. In his view, such rhetoric increases risks for the press and creates conditions that facilitate both physical attacks and online harassment campaigns.

Jaramillo agreed that stigmatizing statements affect not only the journalists directly targeted but also create a broader climate of fear and self-censorship. “Journalists begin to weigh every word for fear of threats, attacks, or legal persecution,” she said.

Local journalism is the most vulnerable

Another central message of the panel was the need to pay greater attention to local journalism. Vaca noted that the journalists most at risk often work far from capital cities, in areas where the line between legality and criminality is blurred and state institutions have less capacity to respond. “It is more isolated journalism, and it is much more exposed,” he said.

The panelists agreed that many of the most serious attacks on the press occur precisely in communities far from major urban centers, where reporters investigate local corruption, criminal economies, territorial disputes, or abuses of power without the resources available to large media organizations.

Beyond the “three Ps”

During the discussion, participants revisited a traditional framework for combating impunity based on three pillars: preventing attacks, protecting journalists, and prosecuting those responsible. However, Vaca proposed adding a new dimension: defending the democratic conditions that allow journalism to be practiced freely.

According to the former IACHR Special Rapporteur, protecting journalists also depends on judicial independence, the separation of powers, and the existence of institutions capable of responding to attacks. “The truth about attacks on the press continues to be frightening in Latin America,” he concluded. “And when justice fails, journalism has a responsibility to keep seeking it.”