In the recent decades, the number of journalists killed worldwide has become an alarming indicator of press freedom. CPJ data show that reporters and media workers continue to lose their lives, especially in contexts of conflict, political instability, or organized crime.

Analyzing peaks of these violent events helps to better understand the dynamics threatening freedom of information and to identify the most affected periods and regions.

A single event illustrates the danger posed by political clans. A convoy of journalists was attacked, and 32 media workers were brutally executed by men connected to government officials, marking one of the deadliest attacks on the press in history.

Journalists investigating corruption and trafficking are systematically silenced. Violence among cartels peaked at 75 murders in 2023 due to operations and attacks carried out by military forces.

Post-invasion instability turned the country into a deadly trap among government forces, militias, and jihadist groups. Violence peaked in 2006 with 55 killings, mostly perpetrated by armed political groups.

The most dramatic data does not concern a single conflict, but a set of cases united by one key element: the absence of identified responsibility.

In total, there are 188 victims. Different stories, same outcome: no confirmed perpetrator. Not always due to lack of information, but often because the available details are insufficient to provide a definitive answer.

Here the truth is suspended in doubt. Responsibility could lie with different actors without it being possible to identify one for certain. Too many versions, no official truth. And when the truth is “uncertain,” so is justice.

Here the situation is even clearer: the perpetrator has not been identified. Each dot represents a victim with no known perpetrator. The data counts the cases but also highlights a gap: a crime without an official culprit.