Of 120 cases reviewed by UNESCO dating from 2005-2024, 60 per cent occurred between 2019-2023.

Extortion, tax evasion and money-laundering are the most frequently misused charges brought against journalists and media outlets. Other misused charges include blackmail, terrorism financing, fraud, embezzlement and illegally receiving foreign funds.

Unlike in libel and defamation cases, financial charges can often be brought without establishing any connection between the editorial content produced by the journalist or media outlet, and the charge itself, obscuring the real motive behind the charge.

The instigators of financial charges against journalists and media outlets are most often state actors. Executive powers can also instruct administrative bodies such as fiscal authorities to launch investigations directly, thus bypassing the scrutiny of the judiciary.

The misuse of financial legislation can allow authorities to freeze a journalist or media outlet’s assets, reducing their livelihoods and impeding their ability to continue reporting while they await trial. This can lead to the closure of media altogether, when key staff are detained or have their assets frozen. The threat of bankrupting individual journalists or media organizations can also lead to further self-censorship.

The UNESCO report identifies at least five cases in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last three years, compared to only two cases during the previous 10. In Africa, at least eight occurred between 2019 and 2023, compared to seven during the previous 10 years. Of the cases in these two regions, tax evasion and extortion were the most frequent charges brought and nine people received jail sentences, the highest sentence being 12 years.

The issue is more prevalent in Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific, particularly Central Asia, with 41 cases reviewed between 2020 and 2024, compared to 19 cases from 2008 to 2020. This trend has been in evidence since the early 2010s. In South Asia, extortion charges have been misused since the mid-2000s, and restricting foreign funding or charging independent media outlets with funding terrorism is also common.

UNESCO’s director general, Audrey Azoulay, said: “Journalists play an essential role in society investigating wrongdoing and advancing transparency. They should never be targeted with unfounded allegations of financial crimes or subject to legal harassment to silence them. This undermines press freedom and freedom of expression for all of us. UNESCO calls on all its Member States to safeguard journalists from this practice.”