World Press Freedom Day Statement: Justice For All Demands Accountability for Targeted Killing of Journalist Amal Khalil and Escalating Attacks on Media Workers Worldwide

SUMMARY: On World Press Freedom Day, Justice For All condemns Israel’s assassination of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and urges accountability during a period of unprecedented danger for media workers.

May 3, 2026

Marking World Press Freedom Day amid one of the deadliest periods for modern journalism, Justice For All expresses concern for escalating attacks on media workers worldwide. Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 Index records the lowest average global press freedom score since its inception, with more than half of all countries (52.2 percent) now classified as having a “difficult” or “very serious” press freedom situation, compared to just 13.7 percent in 2002. Less than 1 percent of the world’s population now lives in countries categorized as having a “good” level of press freedom, underscoring a dramatic contraction of protections for journalists worldwide. This deterioration has been driven not only by violence, including killings and imprisonment, but increasingly by the criminalisation of journalism, the misuse of national security laws and systematic restrictions on access to information.

We condemn Israel’s April 22 assassination of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and reiterate our urgent call for international judicial intervention. We call upon the U.N. Security Council, U.N. Human Rights Council and International Criminal Court to ensure the enforcement of international law following her death.

Ms. Khalil, a 42-year-old reporter for Al-Akbar, was killed in a premeditated airstrike on a residence in Al-Tiri where she had taken refuge. Reports indicate she remained trapped under rubble for up to six hours while Israeli forces obstructed rescue operations, including by targeting an ambulance bearing the Red Cross emblem.

Ms. Khalil’s targeted killing is consistent with an apparent pattern of deliberate or indiscriminate Israeli attacks on media professionals, including the August 2025 killing of six Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza. At least 242 journalists have reportedly been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Such acts have been identified by U.N. officials as potential violations of international humanitarian law, including obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2222, which affirms the protection of journalists in armed conflict. Notably, in Reporters Without Borders’  2026 World Press Freedom Index, occupied Palestine ranks 156th and Israel ranks 116th, reflecting the severe constraints and risks facing journalists operating in the context of ongoing hostilities and genocide.

We are also concerned about deficiencies in international media coverage of Ms. Khalil’s killing, including by the Associated Press, which has failed to accurately characterize the circumstances surrounding her death. We call on the U.N. Security Council to enforce Resolution 2222, mandate unrestricted media access to Gaza and southern Lebanon and urge the International Criminal Court to investigate these incidents as potential war crimes.

Similarly, India has again been downgraded in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 157th, reflecting a continued deterioration in media independence. Authorities continue to deny press access to Indian-administered Kashmir, where communications restrictions and expulsions of foreign journalists persist. Reports further indicate that persecution of religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians and Dalits, remains insufficiently documented, while Kashmiri journalists face arbitrary detention, threats and physical violence for reporting on alleged human rights violations.

Comparable restrictions are evident in China, which ranks 178th in the 2026 Index, placing it among the most repressive environments for journalists globally. Journalists seeking to report on the treatment of Uyghur Muslims are subject to pervasive surveillance, intimidation and denial of access. Foreign correspondents are routinely barred from entering East Turkestan, while local journalists face detention or coercive measures that inhibit independent reporting. Such conditions substantially impede the verification of allegations of human rights abuses and contribute to an environment of impunity.

We urge governments to reverse these trends. We call on the international community to uphold the protections afforded to journalists under international law.