AT LEAST 81 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2017 : REPORT
At least 81 reporters were killed doing their jobs in 2017, as
harassment and attacks on journalists have been on the rise, according to the
International Federation of Journalists.
Although the number of deaths are slightly down from last year's total
of 93, the IFJ cautioned that an unprecedented number of journalists were
jailed in 2017, with more than 250 still in prison.
"Self-censorship was widespread and ... impunity for the killings,
harassment, attacks and threats against independent journalism was running at
epidemic levels," the Belgium-based organisation said in its annual
report, released on Sunday.
Reporters lost their lives in targeted killings, car bombings and
crossfire incidents around the world, the IFJ said, although the loss of ground
by armed groups reduced journalists' exposure to the front lines in some combat
zones.
For example, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also
known as ISIS) steadily lost ground throughout 2017, with Iraq declaring an end
to the war against the armed group earlier this month.
Deaths and arrests
The country where the largest number of journalists were killed was
Mexico, followed by Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
According to the IFJ's data at a regional level, the Asia-Pacific
region recorded the highest number of deaths (26), followed by the Arab world
and Middle East (24) and the Americas (17).
Anthony Bellanger, the general secretary of the IFJ, noted that the
imprisonment of dozens of journalists was also deeply concerning.
"We have more than 250 journalists in jail, and two-thirds of
these journalists are in Turkey," Bellanger told Al Jazeera.
In Egypt, meanwhile, Al Jazeera reporter Mahmoud Hussein has been
detained for more than a year without any formal charges being laid.
News source : Al Jazeera
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