Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary said, in a press release:
Media have become more powerful and journalism has become more dangerous [...] 2006 was the worst year on record – a year of targeting, brutality and continued impunity in the killing of journalists.A report in USA Today lists the deadliest place for journalists (by number of deaths) as Iraq with 68 murders last year – bringing the total since the US-led invasion began to 170. Next, and trailing well behind, is the Philippines with 13 deaths last year.
According to Reuters Iraq has now topped the list 4 years running. I guess that’s something to be proud of...
Russia gets a special mention too, with over 200 journalists being killed in the last 15 years, with 40 of the murders that have taken place since Vladimir Putin took office yet to be adequately resolved – the most recent of which was Anna Politkovskaya, who was an outspoken critic of the regime and defender of the rights of the Chechen people.
The number of deaths this year seems to have galvanised the UN Security Council too, as, on 23 December, they unanimously passed Resolution 1738. The resolution calls for all states and actors to put an end to attacks on journalists and media personnel, reiterates war correspondents’ right to the status of prisoners of war under the Third Geneva Convention, and recalls the demand that all parties to armed conflict comply with their obligations under international law to protect civilians.
Still, this will likely provide small comfort to the (mainly) indigenous journalists that place their lives in grave danger in conflict situations around the world on a daily basis in order to let the world know what is happening in the places none of us are keen to go.
Let’s hope 2007 is a record year for less grisly reasons.
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