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Sixty-eight journalists and media workers were killed in the exercise of their profession in 2022, 21 more than the previous year, according to the annual report of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released Tuesday, which ranks Ukraine, Mexico, Haiti, Pakistan, Colombia and the Philippines as the most dangerous countries for the profession.
Specifically, twelve journalists and media professionals were killed last year in Ukraine, eleven in Mexico, seven in Haiti, five in Pakistan and four each in Colombia and the Philippines, according to the IFJ.
The Federation also noted in its report the names of 375 journalists and media workers currently in prison, a new record since the IFJ began publishing its list of imprisoned journalists on International Human Rights Day two years ago.
China and Hong Kong top the list with 84 imprisoned journalists, followed by Burma (64), Turkey (51), Iran (34) and Belarus (33).
“This publication is not only about the levels of violence against journalists and other media workers, indicated by the large number of attacks against them, but also about the underlying causes,” said IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger.
“The details contained in this report serve as evidence of the variety of threats, actual acts of violence and culture of impunity, which explain the persistent security crisis in journalism,” he added.
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The IFJ stated in its report that the lack of action and political will to address impunity for crimes committed against journalists is contributing to the current media safety crisis and calls for an International Convention at the United Nations dedicated to the protection of journalists and media professionals.
Founded in 1926 and based in Brussels, the IFJ is the world’s largest organization of journalists, representing 600,000 media professionals in 187 unions and associations in more than 140 countries.
