PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen says the figure is “the highest ever registered by the PEC since monitoring the number of journalists killed annually” it says in a press release issued in Geneva this week. The organisation also expresses “extreme worry at the rising toll”.
107 journalists were killed during 2011, 81 during the first 9 months of 2011. The civil war in Syria has so far cost the lives of at least 32 journalists since January, the release says. Lempen stresses that both warring parties in Syria are targeting journalists, adding that the PEC strongly condemns this practice.
Foreign journalists have joined the high risks of losing their lives while covering the civil war. Other media workers are detained or were injured.
Somalia in the horn of Africa has also witnessed a dramatic deterioration in media conditions with 16 journalists killed in 9 months, seven of them in the month of September alone.
Mexico closely follows Somalia as the third most dangerous country for journalists with ten killed during the same period. The assassinated journalists in Mexico suffered violent mutilations; the insecurity remains chronic in many areas of the country.
Pakistan and Brazil follow at 4th positions where 7 journalists were killed in each country. Honduras comes at 6th position with 6 journalists killed.
The Philippines comes in at 5th position with 5 killed, followed by Iraq: 3 killed, and Nigeria: 3 killed.
The PEC received confirmation in August that 3 journalists died in detention in Eritrea while 2 each were killed in Afghanistan, Bolivia, and India.
One journalist was killed in the following countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Columbia, Ecuador, Haiti, Indonesia, Nepal, Uganda, Panama, Tanzania and Thailand.
The Middle East tops the world with 36 journalists killed followed by Latin America: 29, Africa: 24, Asia 21.
During the reporting period no media worker was killed in Europe.
Impunity was the case in the majority of the killings of journalists. PEC hopes that the adoption of a Human Rights Council resolution on the safety of journalists recently would drive governments to carry out inquiries with the goal of bringing the perpetrators of those crimes against journalists to justice.
(c) Politico 04/10/12
