According to the latest report from Reporters Without Borders published on Friday 30 December, 1,668 journalists have been killed in the world since 2003, that is to say 80 years per year on average. Among the most dangerous areas for the profession, Iraq and Syria.
It is a heavy toll denounced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) this Friday, December 30. Murders, liquidations, ambushes, deaths in combat zones, fatal injuries… From Iraq to Syria via Russia and Mexico, in war zones as well as in peace zones, nearly 1,700 journalists have been killed between 2003 and 2022, as reported by the NGO in a final review.
95% are men, but their sisters are not spared. Since 2012, 52 women have been killed, including after investigating women’s rights. ” Behind the figures, there are the faces, the personality, the talent and the commitment of those who have paid with their lives for their information gathering, their search for the truth and their passion for journalism. “, pays tribute to the secretary general of the NGO, Christophe Deloire, in this report.
? 1,668. This is the number of journalists killed in the past 20 years.
Murders, deaths in combat zones, fatal injuries… Over this period, an average of 80 journalists per year died in the exercise of their profession.
➡️ https://t.co/PnRHRSoj5p pic.twitter.com/Id7qdh20er
— RSF (@RSF_inter) December 30, 2022
As RSF indicates, in the last two decades, 80% of the victims are concentrated in 15 countries. Over the period, Iraq and Syria rank number one on this sad list, two countries heavily marked by war, with a total of 578 media professionals killed. We then find, in order, Mexico (125 killed), the Philippines (107), Pakistan (93) then Afghanistan (81).
2012 and 2013, the darkest years
In detail, the years most ” black » go back to 2012 and 2013, with « 144 and 142 killings of journalists respectively, particularly as a result of the conflict in Syria “, underlines RSF. These killer peaks were tracked “ a gradual lull, then historically low figures from 2019 “, notes the organization for the defense of freedom of the press.
With 47.4% of journalists dying violently in 2022, the American continent “ is today unquestionably the most dangerous for the media “. Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and Colombia all make the list of the 15 deadliest countries for journalists.
Mexico alone concentrates 7% of murders committed against media professionals in the space of 20 years and has become the most dangerous country outside of conflict zones in the world.
Eight journalists died in Ukraine in 2022
But the death toll started to rise again in 2022, with 58 journalists killed in the line of duty, compared to 51 the previous year, due to the war in ukraine. Ukraine is thus in second place in the ranking of the most dangerous countries in Europe, behind Russia (25 killed in 20 years).
” Since Vladimir Putin came to power, attacks – including fatal ones – on the freedom of the press have been systematic there, as RSF has often denounced, with in particular the emblematic liquidation by Anna Politkovskaya October 7, 2006 “, insists the NGO.
With eight deaths recorded, France appears in fourth place in Europe, behind Turkey, “ because of the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris in 2015 “.
► To read also: Environmental journalism: reporters increasingly threatened
(With AFP)