KABUL - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) says 81 journalists and media staff were killed in targeted killings, car bomb attacks and crossfire incidents around the world during 2017. Another 250 were jailed.
In a statement on Monday, the US-based watchdog detailed journalist casualties, issues and threats over the past one year. The IFJ welcomed the fall from last year’s tally of 93 to 81 in 2017.
However, it cautioned unprecedented numbers of journalists were jailed, forced to flee, that self-censorship was widespread and impunity for the killings, harassment, attacks and threats against journalism was running at epidemic levels.
The annual report from IFJ said 81 journalists and media staff were killed in targeted killings, car bomb attacks, group attacks, explosions and cross fire incidents around the world during 2017.
The number is 12 -- down from last year’s death tally of 93 -- making 2017 among the least deadly in a decade. The report said as many as 250 journalists were also jailed during the period.
It said media remained in the grip of extreme violence from insurgents in Afghanistan and the ruthless reign of organised crime groups in Mexico. Most of the journalists were killed Mexico. The level of killings was also high in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Countries with the highest numbers of killings are: Mexico (13), Afghanistan (11), Iraq (11), Syria (10), India (6), Philippines (4), Pakistan (4), Nigeria (3), Somalia (3) and Honduras (3).
The IFJ said there were journalist casualties in other countries of the world as well.
On the other hand, the Afghanistan-based NAI, a media advocacy group, claims about 21 journalists and media people were killed in 2017. It said about 41 journalists also suffered injuries across the country.
According to NAI, about two media persons were killed and three others wounded on a monthly basis in 2017. The group added 85 journalists and media professionals had been killed since 2001 in Afghanistan.
As many as 1204 cases of violence on journalists had also been recorded during the period, it added.
“We welcome the reduction for the third year in a row in the loss of life suffered by journalists and media staff around the world during 2017,” said IFJ President Philippe Leruth.
“While this represents a downward trend, the levels of violence in journalism remain unacceptably high. We find it most disturbing that this decrease cannot be linked to any measure by governments to tackle the impunity for these crimes targeting journalists. Instead, the patterns don’t change in the most violent countries such as Mexico and India,” he remarked. (Pajhwok)