World Press freedom Day: 53 Journalists killed within one year-Report
The International Press Institute has released data showing that 53 Journalists died last year.
In a statement on Friday to mark the 2020 world press freedom day, the Institute said though the world’s attention has been consumed by the coronavirus, the past twelve months have proven another deadly year for journalists.
According to the statement, “Since May 2019, 53 journalists have been killed in connection with their work, according to IPI’s data.
” Thirty-two of those were murdered, with most of these targeted killings carried out by armed groups, state security forces, or organized crime.
” Latin America continues to be the worst region in the world for journalists, where 20 journalists lost their lives in targeted attacks, with 10 in Mexico alone.
” Armed conflicts and civil unrests claimed the lives of 14 journalists. Of these seven were killed in Syria and three were killed in Afghanistan, Chad and Yemen respectively, while covering armed conflicts. Two journalists were died in Iraq covering the civil unrest. A further six were killed while on assignment.
” Unfortunately, investigations into targeted killings remain slow and deficient. As a result, no arrests have been made in many of these cases.”
The institute informed that positively, progress has been made in the trials of those suspected of murdering Slovak investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and fiancée Martina Kusnirova.
Since 1997, IPI’s Death Watch has tallied journalists deliberately targeted because of their profession and those who lost their lives while covering conflict or while on assignment.
