Forty-five journalists and media professionals were assassinated in 2021, a third less than the previous year (65), but the toll is particularly heavy in Asia, especially in Afghanistan, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) .
“This figure of 45 represents one of the lowest records since the IFJ began publishing annual reports on journalists killed in work-related incidents, including targeted assassinations, crossfire deaths as well as the bombings ”, underlined, in a press release, this organization which has 600,000 members in 140 countries.
It has identified 2,721 journalists killed around the world since 1991.
“The risks associated with armed conflicts have diminished in recent years due to the limited exposure of media professionals, who are less and less numerous to cover” war zones, explains the IFJ.
“At the same time, threats linked to the domination of criminal gangs and drug cartels, from the slums in Mexico to the streets of European cities in Greece and the Netherlands, continue to increase and explain many targeted assassinations, ”she explains.
By region, over the past year, Asia-Pacific is at the top of the macabre record, with 20 assassinations, ahead of the Americas (10), Africa (8), Europe (6) and the Middle East and the Arab world (only one). In addition to these 45 killings, there are the accidental deaths of two journalists in Iran.
If the decrease observed in 2021 “is good news, it is only little comfort in the face of the continuing violence which has claimed the lives of journalists in countries such as Afghanistan (9) and Mexico (8) , India (4) and Pakistan (3) ”, estimates the IFJ, noting that“ journalists and media workers are most often killed for exposing corruption, crime and abuse of power in their communities , cities and countries ”.
The organization pleads for “a new United Nations convention for the protection of journalists”.