Ukraine deadliest for journalists as 67 killed worldwide in 2022
According to a new assessment by the International Federation of Journalists, the number of journalists killed while performing their jobs will increase in 2022 as a result of the Russian military conflict in Ukraine, the unrest in Haiti, and the growth in criminal group violence in Mexico (IFJ).
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 67 journalists and media professionals have died so far this year, up from 47 in 2021.
The IFJ reports that 12 media personnel have died while reporting the conflict in Ukraine, more than any other nation this year. The majority of them were journalists from Ukraine, but there were also a few foreign reporters that perished, and many of them did so during the frantic first few weeks of the war.
The IFJ report also criticized Israeli forces for fatally shooting Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 while she was covering a raid on a refugee camp in Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. This week, the Al Jazeera network formally asked the International Criminal Court to look into and bring charges against those responsible for the death of Abu Akleh.
The research, which was made public on the occasion of UN Human Rights Day, also reveals that in 2022, “political repression has reared its ugly head.” According to IFJ, there are currently at least 375 media professionals in prison for doing their jobs, which is 10 more than in 2017.
China, Myanmar, Turkey, Iran, and Belarus are home to the majority of people who are detained.
The IFJ and other media rights organizations have urged governments to take more decisive action to protect journalists and media freedom in light of the rising number of media workers who are being assassinated.
The IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said in a statement that inaction “will only empower those who seek to stifle the free flow of information and undermine the ability of people to hold their leaders accountable, including in ensuring that those with power and influence do not stand in the way of open and inclusive societies.”
The IFJ further claimed that “the rule by terror of criminal organizations in Mexico, and the breakdown of law and order in Haiti, have also contributed to the surge in killings,” and that the year 2022 was one of the deadliest ever for journalists in Mexico, which is now regarded as the most dangerous nation outside of a war zone.
The 600,000 media professionals from trade unions and groups in more than 140 countries who make up the IFJ, based in Brussels, have also lost five journalists this year due to the political unrest in Pakistan. The organization issued warnings about fresh threats against journalists in Colombia and about the Philippines’ ongoing danger to journalists in spite of new leadership there.
Credit: Al-Jazeera