The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has expressed concern at how journalists, especially in Eastern Europe, are being accused of economic crimes to prevent critical reporting from appearing, DPA reported.
The Paris-based organization said journalists were being prosecuted on charges including extortion, tax evasion and money laundering.
This tactic is widespread and increasing in all regions, but is seen most often in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The aim is to distract critical journalists from their work and intimidate them. Journalists covering corruption are at particular risk, UNESCO said.
The organization noted an alarming pattern of abuse of financial laws and administrative procedures for actions against journalists, almost exclusively by representatives of the state.
This often happens during election campaigns, protests or before major international events, UNESCO said.
These accusations damage the reputation of the attacked journalists and publications, lead to self-censorship and, to a lesser extent, are subject to international condemnation, the organization pointed out, writes BTA.
The analysis is based on 120 cases of alleged financial crimes between 2005 and 2024, most of which took place between 2019 and 2022. UNESCO said it suggested the data underestimated the number of journalists and publications affected.