Brussels,
3rd February 2016. - The
International Federation of Journalists today published its
25th report on journalists and media staff killed since 1990. The
report lists 2297 media fatalities due to violence in journalism,
including 112 killed in 2015 alone. From double digits at the start of
these publications, the figures reached three digits in eleven years,
peaking to 155 killings of journalists and media staff in 2006, the
deadliest year on record, according to the IFJ reports.
“This milestone
publication charts the trajectory of safety crisis in journalism and
bears witness to the IFJ’s long running campaign to end impunity for
violence against media professionals,” said IFJ President Jim Boumelha.
“These annual reports were more than just about recording the killings
of colleagues. They also represented our tribute for their courage and
the ultimate sacrifice paid by journalists in their thousands who lost
their lives fulfilling the role to inform and empower the
public.”
The IFJ report says that killings span the entire globe where wars and
armed conflicts, while accounting for many cases of loss of life in
journalism through targeted killings, bomb attacks, cross fire
incidents and increasingly violent kidnappings, are not the only
justification for the grim numbers.
“There were other reasons, often removed from the war theatre, for
targeting journalists, many of whom are victims
of organised crime barons and corrupt
officials,” Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary who delivers
his first annual report on journalists and media staff killed since his
appointment last November. “It is a recurring finding of our reports
that there are many more killed in peace time situations than in
war-stricken countries.”
This finding is reflected in the ten top spots of the most dangerous
countries in the report which feature places which suffered war
violence, the breakdown of law and order as well as crime and
corruption. These are Iraq (309), the Philippines (146), Mexico
(120), Pakistan (115), Russian Federation (109), Algeria (106), India
(95), Somalia (75), Syria (67) and Brazil (62). Last year, France
(10) shared with Iraq (10) and Yemen (10) the top
position on the list of countries with the highest number of killings,
following the massacre of journalists and media personnel by the
terrorists at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Asia Pacific region recorded the highest death toll of 571, followed by
the Arab World and Middle East with 473 killings, one more that the
Americas (472) . Africa comes in the fourth position on 424
victims ahead of Europe with 357 dead. In 2015, the Americas had
the most fatalities (27), followed by the Middle East (25).
The other finding which is borne out of the report is the scant
consideration to the levels of violence against journalists around the
world, with just one of ten killings being investigated. The IFJ says
that the lack of action to eradicate the impunity for killings and
other attacks on media professionals continues to fuel violence
targeting them.
The report also provides details on the campaign waged on many fronts
over the years by the IFJ and its affiliates to make journalism safer.
They include the initiatives by the Federation such as the creation of
the International Safety Fund to provide assistance to journalists in
need and the setting up of the solidarity centres in Algeria,
Colombia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka to monitor crisis situations
and distribute assistance. There were also practical tools to provide
advice to journalists on dangerous assignments such as the adoption of
the international code of conduct for the safe practice of journalism
and the publication of Live News, a survival guide for
journalists covering war zones.
Furthermore, the Federation took a leading role in building coalitions
within the press freedom community and media industry to protect
journalists through the creation of organisations such as
IFEX and INSI. The IFJ also developed partnership with
inter-governmental organisations, including UNESCO on the UN
Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, the
Council of Europe on its Online Platform for the promotion of
journalism and the safety of journalists. It has worked with the
International Committee of the Red Cross to facilitate journalists’
access to its Hotline in case of need for emergency assistance.
The IFJ stresses that these reports served the purpose of raising the
alarm against violence in media and of promoting the protection for
journalists and the importance of mitigating risks to their safety and
security. The report says that this is a shared responsibility,
including the role of journalists and their employers to educate
themselves in risk assessment, avoid reckless assignments and take all
necessary precautions while working in dangerous environments.
But, in the word of M. Bellanger “This starts with the understanding
that everyone, governments’ officials, security and military officers
as well as others who come into contact with journalists need to
respect their independence. It requires governments to comply with
their international obligations by investigating journalists’ killings
and bringing those responsible to justice, thus deterring future
violence. It depends on the willingness of the United Nations and its
agencies, as the custodians of international instruments which enshrine
the right to physical integrity all human beings, to enforce these
guarantees for the benefit of journalists and other media personnel.”
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