Attacks on human rights activists and the state of press freedom in the world

According to a report by the British Business & Human Rights Resource Center, in 2022, Brazil topped the list of the most dangerous countries for human rights and trade union activists. Sixty-three attacks on activists were recorded there. Then there are India and Mexico, with 54 and 44 attacks, respectively. Cambodia, the Philippines, Honduras, Belarus, Peru, Colombia and Uganda are dangerous. In 43% of the attacks, multinational companies or their subsidiaries were responsible. Of the more than 550 attacks, 75% were against people protecting land, climate and environmental rights. 20% of the attacks involved activists working for indigenous peoples. Mining was the most dangerous industry, linked to 165 attacks on activists.

According to the Press Freedom Index, media freedom is in a dire state in a record 31 countries. The situation worsened, for example, in Turkey, India, Tajikistan, Senegal and Tunisia. The Middle East is very dangerous for journalists. In addition, AI is “wreaking further havoc on the media world”, and AI tools “process content and return it in syntheses disregarding the principles of word accuracy and fairness.” Meanwhile, the New York Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a report drawing attention to the growing populism and antiliberal authorities in Hungary and Poland, destroying the rule of law, including freedom of the press. The UN says that 85% of people live in countries where media freedom has deteriorated in the last five years.