At least 2680 journalists have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1990, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
In a report, they observed that 65 were killed during 2020, an increase of 17 on the year before. This they said, is an example of the deepening safety crisis in the media world.
The main reasons for the concerning levels of safety include organized crime groups, extremists, and sectarian violence which continue to cause terror among journalists.
’In this regard, 2020 was no exception. The ruthless reign of crime barons in Mexico, the violence of extremists in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia, as well as the intolerance of hardliners in India and the Philippines have contributed to the continued bloodshed in the media”, said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. ‘’The thoughts of the IFJ and the 600.000 members of its affiliated unions go to all those victims, their families, friends and all those who are jailed, subjected to violence and harassed both physically and online.’’
Top of the list was Mexico with 14 murders followed by Afghanistan (10), Pakistan (9), India (8), Philippines (4), Syria (4), and Nigeria and Yemen, both of which recorded three each. Iraq, Somalia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Honduras, Paraguay, Russia, and Sweden.
The IFJ called on governments to live up to their responsibilities by investigating the murders of journalists, including the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection and the Security of Journalists by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The report from IFJ also includes a list of journalists that have been imprisoned for their reporting. According to IFJ, the number exceeds 229 as of March 2021.
’No democracy worthy of that name can jail messengers of freedom of expression. Every day, the IFJ works actively on the ground for the immediate and unconditional release of colleagues who are unjustly imprisoned‘’, added Anthony Bellanger.
The full report will be launched later today.
The Coalition for Women in Journalism recorded 97 cases of harassment against female journalists in February alone. This was a 61.6% increase from December.
In terms of the biggest offender, Turkey registered 35 cases of oppression, 24 of which were legal harassment. CFWIJ called on Turkey to end the culture of silencing journalists through the manipulation of the legal system.
