Dangerous countries for journalists
Islamabad
The Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) that fights for protection of journalists round the globe has put Pakistan and India at number six for being the ‘dangerous countries’ for journalists, as during Jan-December 2016 six journalists have been killed in each country followed by Turkey with five casualties and Somalia, Russia and Brazil with three each.
According to the data, since the start of 2016, a total of 144 journalists have been killed in 31 countries — the highest number in last 10 years. Two-thirds of journalists were killed in countries in war.
Iraq was at the top with highest number of journalists’ casualties of 16, followed by Syria 14, Afghanistan and Mexico 12 each, Yemen nine and Guatemala seven. The figure 144 includes 20 Brazilian journalists killed in a plane crash in Columbia on November 29. They were on mission accompanying a Brazilian football team, Chapecosense.
Two journalists each were killed in Finland, Kenya, Philippines, Salvador, South Sudan and Ukraine. In the United States, one journalist was killed. Besides, one journalist each was killed in Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Honduras, Jordan, Myanmar, Peru, Serbia and Venezuela.
PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen noted that 2016 was still a very difficult year for journalists' safety. The price for covering news was very high with 2.8 journalists killed every week on average.
The PEC has noted that 135 journalists were killed in 2015, 138 in 2014, 129 in 2013, 141 in 2012, 107 in 2011, 110 in 2010, 122 in 2009, 91 in 2008, 115 in 2007, and 96 in 2006. Since 2007 to 2016, a total of 1232 media workers were killed.
Without the plane crash in Colombia, the Middle East and North Africa head the most dangerous regions with 44 killed. Latin America and Asia came second with 28 journalists killed each, Europe with 13 killed, Africa 10, while one journalist was killed in North America.
From a year to another the situation has particularly worsened in Guatemala and Afghanistan. During the course of the year the situation deteriorated in Turkey with more than 120 journalists arrested since the failed coup d’etat in July. In Burundi, journalist Jean Bigirimana has disappeared since July 22. More than 100 journalists killed in Syria over 5 years.
During the period between 2012 and 2016 the war in Syria resulted in the killing of more than 100 journalists — a very difficult situation for the media. This figure does not cover the journalists who disappeared or those who are still in detention like the American journalist Austin Tice.
The most dangerous country for media workers after Syria during the same period is Iraq where 55 journalists have been. Pakistan follows with 50 killed mostly in the tribal areas close to the border with Afghanistan. Mexico follows 46, Somalia 41, Brazil 34, Philippines 30, India 28, Afghanistan 26, and Honduras 21 among the ten most dangerous countries.
Lempen stressed that journalists cannot put aside their profession and will not escape dangerous places or the combat zones, adding that the international community has a duty to reinforce their protection in the field, investigate the crimes against them and combat with more firmness impunity.
The PEC rejoices at the unanimous adoption by the Human Rights Council in Geneva of a new resolution on the safety of journalists last September, and calls for practical measures to adopt it.
PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi noted that there was a simple and short cut to reach such practical measures by convening an international conference to reach an international convention for protection of journalists.