Report highlights conflicts and political repression as contributing factors
67 journalists have died on the job so far in 2022 according to a report from The International Federation of Journalists, which is calling on the international community to take action to protect the safety and freedom of journalists.
The figure is 20 more than 2021, when 47 journalists were killed while performing their job. The IFJ points to the war in Ukraine, cartel drug wars in Mexico, and the breakdown of law and order in Haiti as three main contributing factors for the high number of journalist deaths.
12 media members have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February. 11 journalists have died in Mexico while six have been killed in Haiti.
The report from the IFJ also highlights troubling developments in the Asia Pacific region. Despite new leadership in the Philippines, attacks on journalists have continued, and led to four deaths this year. Meanwhile, five journalists lost their lives in the political crisis in Pakistan.
“The surge in the killings of journalists and other media workers is a grave cause of concern and yet another wake up call for governments across the globe to take action in the defence of journalism, one of the key pillars of democracy,” says IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.
“The failure to act will only embolden those who seek to suppress the free flow of information and undermine the ability of people to hold their leaders to account, including in ensuring that those with power and influence do not stand in the way of open and inclusive societies. It is now time for the UN General Assembly to pass the IFJ Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists.”
The jailing of journalists is also a trend highlighted in the report which says political repression in countries like China, Russia, Belarus, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iran, Myanmar, and Turkey has effectively silenced objective media. 375 journalists and media workers are currently behind bars.
“These figures make for grim reading and cast serious doubts on the political will on the part of governments to address such grave threats to media freedom," adds Bellanger.
“The number of journalists being held for simply doing their job makes a mockery of the lofty declarations on human rights and media freedom made by too many governments and trumpeted at international conferences. Such commitments ring hollow to those languishing in prisons with no charges nor any lawful basis for their arrest. It’s time for the international community to act to ensure all journalists illegally held are freed.”
The full report can be found here.
