By Politico staff writer
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) says 67 (sixty seven) journalists have been killed so far in 2022 which is a spike in the number of journalists killed or imprisoned this year alone.
IFJ in a press release dated 10th December this year renewed its call on the international community to take concrete action to protect the safety and freedom of journalists around the world.
The Federation released the figures ahead of International Human Rights Day, stating that more journalists were killed in 2022 compared to the 47 last year, a reversal of the decline recorded in recent years. It noted that the vote on the IFJ Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists by the UN General Assembly has become urgent.
The war in Ukraine was said to have accounted for 12 media fatalities, the highest number in the 21 countries where deadly incidents have been recorded. The rule by terror of criminal organisations in Mexico and the breakdown of law and order in Haiti, have also said to have contributed to the surge in killings, with 11 and 6 documented respectively.
In Colombia, journalists face renewed violence in a country on the verge of becoming a killing zone for journalists and media workers once again which shattered the prospects for media freedom following the political settlement to end decades of bloody civil war.
Also, in Asia Pacific, the new leadership in the Philippines was said to have brought no respite to deadly attacks on journalists with 4 killings in the first year of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Junior’s Presidency, while 5 journalists lost their lives in the political crisis in Pakistan.
The release further stated that, the Middle East and Arab World saw the killings of media professionals rise from 3 last year to 5, including the shooting in broad daylight of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
It also stated that, 4 journalists were killed in Chad and Somalia, which means that Africa recorded the lowest number of deaths among the five regions on the IFJ’s killed list, behind the Americas 29, Asia Pacific 16, Europe 13 and Middle East and Arab World 5.
The list from IFJ also shows that, political repression has reared its ‘ugly head’ during 2022 from China to Belarus, from Egypt to Hong Kong, Iran, Myanmar, Turkey and Russia in a bid to silence media and crush protests for freedom. The list portrayed that, at least 375 (three hundred and seventy five) journalists and media workers are currently behind bars, a new high since two years ago when the IFJ began publishing lists of jailed journalists to mark the International Day for Human Rights.
Journalists were among the first victims of the crackdowns of any political unrest in so many countries.
It was reported that, China and its allies in Hong Kong top the list with 84 journalists in jail, followed by Myanmar (64), Turkey (51), Iran (34), Belarus (33), Egypt (23), Russia and occupied Crimea (29), Saudi Arabia (11), Yemen (10), Syria (9) and India (7).
According to the General Secretary of IFJ, Anthony Bellanger, the surge in the killings of journalists and other media workers is a grave cause of concern and yet another wake up call for governments across the globe to take action in the defence of journalism which he said is one of the key pillars of democracy. He said the failure to act will only embolden those who seek to suppress the free flow of information and undermine the ability of people to hold their leaders to account, including in ensuring that those with power and influence do not stand in the way of open and inclusive societies.
“It is now time for the UN General Assembly to pass the IFJ Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists,” said Bellanger.
The IFJ General Secretary pointed out that, the figures highlighted make for grim reading and cast serious doubts on the political will on the part of governments to address such grave threats to media freedom. He added that, the number of journalists being held for simply doing their job makes a mockery of the lofty declarations on human rights and media freedom made by too many governments and trumpeted at international conferences.
“Such commitments ring hollow to those languishing in prisons with no charges, nor any lawful basis for their arrest. It’s time for the international community to act to ensure all journalists illegally held are freed,” he reaffirmed.
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