Introduction
66 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2008
Asia Becomes the World’s Most Dangerous Region
By Michael Kudlak
With 66 journalists and media workers killed because of their work in 2008, fatalities worldwide were down from record highs of 93 in 2007 and 100 in 2006.
Fourteen journalists were killed in Iraq, once again the world’s most dangerous country for news professionals. Six journalists were killed in Pakistan, five each in India, Mexico and the Philippines, and four in Georgia and Russia, respectively. Journalists were also killed in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Croatia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Venezuela. Many of these killings were committed with impunity.
Twenty-six journalists were killed in Asia, making it the deadliest place in the world in which to practice journalism. Six journalists were killed in Pakistan alone, second only to Iraq in the number of casualties worldwide. In the Philippines, where five journalists were killed because of their work, more than 80 journalists have been murdered with impunity since the return to democracy in 1986. At least five journalists were killed in India in 2008, the bloodiest year for journalism in that country since 2000.
In the Middle East and North Africa, 15 journalists were killed in 2008. Fourteen were killed in Iraq – a sharp drop from 42 and 46 in 2007 and 2006, respectively. One photojournalist, Fadel Shana, was killed in the Palestinian Territories. The Reuters cameraman was killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli troops when he stepped out of his car, which was clearly marked as a press vehicle, to film an Israeli tank.
In Europe, 10 journalists were killed. Three journalists of the four journalists killed in Georgia died during the week-long August war with Russia. Stan Storimans, a Dutch cameraman for the television channel RTL 4 in the Netherlands, was killed during bombing in the city of Gori on 12 August. On 10 August, Alexander Klimchuk, a photojournalist for the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, and Grigol Chikhladze, a reporter for Russian Newsweek, were killed while covering fighting in the disputed region of South Ossetia. Four journalists were killed in Russia, including Gadzhi Abashilov, head of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company in the southern republic of Dagestan. In Croatia, Ivo Pukanic, owner of the NCL Media Group, and employee Niko Franjic were killed when a car bomb exploded in front their offices in central Zagreb.
Ten journalists were killed in the Americas and the Caribbean – five of them in Mexico, where another eight were reported missing. The frequent violent attacks against journalists reporting on corruption and drug trafficking, combined with the impunity accompanying these crimes, have made Mexico the most dangerous country in the Americas for journalists.
Five journalists were killed in Africa – down from 12 in 2007. Two reporters were killed in Somalia, plagued by years of lawlessness and fighting between rival warlords. In the DRC, Didace Namujimbo, a reporter for the UN-sponsored Radio Okapi, was shot at close range on his way home in the eastern city of Bukavu. He had reported extensively on the trial into the murder of another Radio Okapi journalist, Serge Maheshe, who died in similar circumstances in June 2007.
93 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2007
Another Deadly Year for Journalists
By Michael Kudlak
93 journalists and media staffers were murdered worldwide in 2007, making it the second bloodiest year on record for journalism, according to IPI’s statistics.
At least 42 journalists were killed in Iraq alone. Eight journalists were murdered in Somalia, six in Pakistan, four in the Philippines and three in Sri Lanka. Journalists were also killed in Afghanistan, Brazil, Burma, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nepal, the Palestinian Authority, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Zimbabwe. Almost all of these murders were committed with impunity.
Forty-four journalists were killed in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where Iraq, with at least 42 journalist fatalities, once again proved to be the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Both foreign correspondents and Iraqi journalists continued to be caught in the crossfire in the deadly war between coalition troops and insurgents. The vast majority of victims were Iraqis, many of whom worked for Western news organisations or U.S.-backed Arabic newspapers and broadcasters. In addition to the deaths in Iraq, two journalists were killed in the Palestinian Authority.
In the Americas, at least 15 journalists died because of their work in 2007. In Haiti, progress with the judicial inquiries into recent murders of journalists was blighted by the murders of two media professionals, Jean-Rémy Badiau in Port-au-Prince and Alix Joseph in Gonaďves. In Mexico, where two journalists were killed, reporters investigating drug trafficking and corruption continued to risk physical attacks and even death at the hands of local drug lords and corrupt officials. In the United States, Chauncey Bailey, editor-in-chief of the weekly Oakland Post, was shot dead in broad daylight in downtown Oakland, California. The veteran journalist had covered issues of concern to the African-American community, including local corruption and crime. Four other journalists were killed when their news helicopters crashed in mid-air while covering a police chase in Phoenix, Arizona.
In Asia, where 19 journalists were killed, six reporters were murdered in Pakistan alone. In the Philippines, where four journalists were killed, at least 79 journalists have been murdered since democracy was restored in 1986. In Sri Lanka, where the media continues to be caught in the middle of a deadly conflict between security forces and Tamil rebels, three journalists were killed.
In Europe, two journalists were killed in Turkey, including Hrant Dink, the prominent editor of the Armenian-Turkish language weekly Agos, who was shot twice in the head and once in the neck by a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist outside the offices of the newspaper he founded in 1996. Dink had received numerous death threats from Turkish nationalists who viewed his journalism, particularly on the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century, as treacherous. The Russian journalist, Ivan Safronov, a military correspondent for the independent daily Kommersant, fell from a fifth-floor staircase window in his apartment building in Moscow. Prosecutors initially said his death was a suicide, but later opened an investigation into what they called "incitement to suicide." He had been working on a number of sensitive issues, including alleged Russian plans to sell missiles and fighter jets to Iran and Syria.
Twelve journalists were killed in Africa – up from four in 2006 and 2005, respectively. Eight journalists were killed in Somalia alone, making it the most dangerous country in Africa for journalists, and second only to Iraq in the number of journalist fatalities worldwide. Two journalists were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and one each in Eritrea and Zimbabwe.
100 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2006
Journalism’s Bloodiest Year
By Michael Kudlak
One hundred journalists and media staffers were killed worldwide in 2006, making it the bloodiest year on record for journalism, according to IPI’s statistics.
At least 46 journalists were killed in Iraq alone. Ten journalists were murdered in the Philippines, seven in Mexico, five in Sri Lanka, four in Pakistan and three each in Afghanistan and Colombia. Journalists were also killed in Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Almost all of these murders were committed with impunity.
Forty-eight journalists and media staffers were killed in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where Iraq, with at least 46 journalist fatalities, once again proved to be the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Both foreign correspondents and Iraqi journalists continued to be caught in the crossfire in the deadly war between coalition troops and insurgents. Paul Douglas and James Brolan, two British journalists working for the U.S. television network CBS, were killed when a car bomb exploded as they were travelling with the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Baghdad. Iraqi journalists working for Western news organisations or U.S.-funded Arabic newspapers and broadcasters were increasingly the target of deliberate attacks.
In addition to the deaths in Iraq, one journalist was killed in Lebanon and another in Sudan. In July, a photographer for the Lebanese magazine Al-Jaras and the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), was killed in an Israeli attack on the town of Qana in southern Lebanon. In Sudan, Taha Mohammed Ahmed, editor-in-chief of the private daily Al-Wifaq, was kidnapped and beheaded by extremists angered over his publication of an article about the Prophet Muhammad.
In the Americas and the Caribbean, at least 17 journalists were killed because of their work in 2006, including seven in Mexico, three in Colombia, and two in Venezuela. In Mexico, journalists investigating drug trafficking and corruption continued to risk physical attacks and even death at the hands of local drug lords and corrupt officials. Bradley Will, an independent U.S. journalist and cameraman based in New York City, was shot dead by armed men who fired at protesters during a demonstration in Oaxaca. Colombia, with three journalists killed, remained one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists to operate. Especially in the provinces, journalists were targeted by right-wing paramilitaries, leftist guerrillas, corrupt officials, drug traffickers and other common criminals.
In Asia, where 29 journalists were killed, ten reporters were murdered in the Philippines alone. At least 75 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986. In Sri Lanka, where the media continues to be caught in the middle of a deadly conflict between security forces and Tamil rebels, five journalists were killed. Four journalists were murdered in Pakistan. In Afghanistan, Christian Struwe and Karen Fischer, freelancers for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, were shot dead in their tent by unidentified gunmen, while Abdul Qodus, a cameraman with the Kabul-based Aryana TV, was killed in a suicide bombing in the city of Kandahar.
In Europe, two Russian journalists were killed. The prominent reporter Anna Politkovskaya, who worked for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and was known for her criticism of the authorities and critical coverage of the Chechen conflict, was shot dead in the lift of her apartment building in Moscow. Yevgeny Gerasimenko, a journalist working for Saratovsky Rasklad, a weekly in the south-eastern city of Saratov, was found dead in his apartment with a plastic bag over his head. He had been investigating the corporate takeover of a local commercial enterprise.
Four journalists were killed in Africa – one each in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Somalia, where Martin Adler, an award-winning Swedish journalist and photographer, was shot by an unidentified gunman while filming a demonstration in Mogadishu.
65 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2005
Dying Before Their Time
By Michael Kudlak
With 65 journalists killed worldwide in 2005, the death toll was down from 78 in 2004, but it was still a horrific year for those attempting to investigate corruption and other illegal activities or report on events in conflict areas.
At least 23 journalists and media workers were killed in Iraq alone. Nine journalists were murdered in the Philippines, three in Bangladesh and Haiti, respectively, and two each in Brazil, Colombia, Lebanon, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka. Journalists were also killed in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Libya, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, and Thailand. Almost all of these murders were committed with impunity.
Twenty-six journalists were killed in the Middle East, where Iraq, with at least 23 journalist fatalities, once again proved to be the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Both foreign correspondents and Iraqi journalists continued to be caught in the crossfire in the deadly war between coalition troops and insurgents. Steven Vincent, a U.S. freelance journalist, was shot to death by unknown assailants hours after he was abducted by five men in a police car in Basra, where he was carrying out research for a book on the city and reporting for The New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor. Iraqi journalists working for Western news organisations or U.S.-funded Arabic newspapers and broadcasters were increasingly the target of deliberate attacks.
In addition to the deaths in Iraq, two journalists were killed in Lebanon and one in Libya. In Lebanon, where the February assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri sparked a political crisis, Samir Kassir, a prominent columnist for the daily Al-Nahar, was killed in June by a bomb placed under the driver's seat of his car. In December, Al-Nahar's general manager, Gebran Tueni, was killed along with three others in an explosion that targeted his convoy as it drove through Beirut's Christian suburb of Mukhallis. Both Kassir and Tueni were well known for their criticism of Syrian influence in Lebanon.
In the Americas, 11 journalists were killed in 2005, including three in Haiti, and two each in Colombia and Mexico. In Haiti, one of the country's best-known journalists, Jacques Roche, cultural editor of the Port-au-Prince daily Le Matin, was kidnapped in July and found dead four days later. His abductors apparently killed him after they discovered his TV programme was close to the "184 Group", a coalition of civil society organisations that opposes former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
In Colombia, long one of the most dangerous countries to work as a journalist, many contributed the decline in the killing of journalists to an increase in self-censorship among media practitioners. In Mexico, journalists reporting on drug-trafficking along the U.S. border continued to risk physical attacks and even death at the hands of local drug lords.
In Asia, where 20 journalists and media staffers were killed, nine reporters were murdered in the Philippines alone. At least 65 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986. In Bangladesh, three journalists were killed because of their investigative reporting. In Nepal, where the media continues to be caught in the middle of a deadly conflict between Maoist rebels and government security forces, two journalists were killed.
In Europe, four journalists were murdered - two in Russia, and one each in Azerbaijan and Belarus - because of their critical or investigative reporting.
Four journalists, including Kate Peyton, a television producer for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), were also killed in Africa. Peyton, who was shot outside her hotel in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, in February, had just arrived in Somalia with BBC reporter Peter Greste to make a series of reports about the country. In Sierra Leone, Harry Yansaneh, acting editor of For Di People newspaper, died of kidney failure in July, two months after he was severely beaten by six persons, allegedly on the orders of a Member of Parliament for the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party. Yansaneh took over as editor of For Di People in October 2004 after founding editor Paul Kamara was sentenced to four years in jail for "seditious libel."
78 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2004
Killing Fields
By Michael Kudlak
Seventy-eight journalists and media staffers were killed worldwide in 2004, making it one of the worst years since IPI began recording the killing of journalists.
Not since 1999, when 86 journalists were killed, have so many journalists died in a single year. At least 23 journalists and media workers died in Iraq alone. Twelve journalists were murdered in the Philippines, five in Bangladesh, four in Mexico, and three each in Brazil, India, Nepal and Russia. Journalists were also killed in 18 other countries. Most of these murders were committed with impunity.
27 journalists were killed in the Middle East, where Iraq once again proved to be the most dangerous country in the world in which to work as a journalist. Both foreign correspondents and Iraqi journalists continued to be caught in the crossfire in the deadly war between coalition troops and insurgents. Some were deliberately targeted because they were journalists. Veteran Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni was kidnapped and then murdered by a militant group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq. The group said they killed Baldoni because Italy had refused to withdraw its troops from Iraq within 48 hours. Several Iraqi journalists were apparently murdered because they worked for Western news organisations or U.S.-backed Arabic newspapers and broadcasters. In addition to the deaths recorded in Iraq, two journalists were killed in Palestine, including Khalil Al-Zebin, a veteran Palestinian journalist and key adviser to President Yasser Arafat on human rights and media issues, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Gaza City. In Saudi Arabia, BBC cameraman Simon Cumbers was killed in a drive-by shooting in Riyadh. In Yemen, Mohammed Salem Al-Sagheer, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Al-Waseet, was murdered in his house in the capital, Sana'a. A prominent journalist and businessman, Al-Sagheer supported private and opposition newspapers by providing printing facilities at affordable prices.
In the Americas, 15 journalists were killed in 2004, including four in Mexico, three in Brazil and two each in Nicaragua and Peru. In Colombia, long the most dangerous country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere, only one journalist was killed because of his work, down from nine in 2003 and 15 in 2002.
In Asia, where 27 journalists were killed, 12 journalists were murdered in the Philippines alone. At least 56 journalists have been killed because of their work in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986. Most of these journalists were investigating corruption and other illegal activities and killed in rural areas outside Manila. No one has been convicted in any of these cases. In Bangladesh, five journalists were killed because of their investigative reporting into organised crime or left-wing extremist groups. Three journalists were killed in Nepal, where the media continued to be caught in the middle of a deadly conflict between Maoist rebels and government security forces.
In Europe, seven journalists were killed. Three journalists were murdered in Russia, including Paul Khlebnikov, an American of Russian descent and editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, who was shot and killed outside his office in Moscow. Khlebnikov had reported extensively about corruption and organised crime in Russia.
Only two journalists were killed in Africa. In troubled Côte d'Ivoire, where two journalists were killed in 2003, Antoine Massé, a correspondent for the daily Courrier d'Abidjan, was killed during clashes between the Ivorian army, demonstrators and French peacekeeping forces. In Gambia, where the private media are under siege, Deyda Hydara, managing editor and co-owner of the critical newspaper, The Point, was shot three times in the head by unidentified gunmen as he drove home from his office in the capital, Banjul.
64 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2003
Embeds, Unilaterals And Other Targets: A Deadly Year For Journalists
By Michael Kudlak
Sixty-four journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2003, making it one of the worst years on record.
Not since 86 journalists were killed in 1999, when conflicts in the Balkans and Sierra Leone were responsible for a sudden surge in fatalities, have so many journalists died in a single year. At least 19 journalists and media staff died in Iraq alone. Nine journalists were killed in Colombia, seven in the Philippines, four in Brazil, and three each in India, Nepal and Russia. Journalists were also murdered in 13 other countries.
The Middle East, where 22 journalists were killed, proved to be the most dangerous region in the world to work in as a journalist. In addition to the deaths recorded in Iraq, two cameramen were killed in separate incidents in the Palestinian Territories, where media professionals continued to be caught in the crossfire. An Iranian-Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi, died in an Iranian military hospital of an apparent brain haemorrhage resulting from beatings. Plainclothes security officers had arrested her two weeks earlier while she was taking photographs in front of Teheran’s Evin prison.
Thousands of journalists covered the U.S.-led military campaign to remove the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, making it the most widely reported war in history. Over 800 journalists were "embedded" with U.S. and British military units, with another 2,000 free-roaming or "unilateral" journalists operating independently of the military, but frequently under more dangerous conditions. By the end of the six-week campaign, at least 14 journalists had been killed, with two others missing and believed dead. However, hostilities in Iraq did not end after President George W. Bush declared on 1 May that "major combat operations in Iraq had ended." The death toll was to grow to 19 by the end of the year.
Several killings of journalists by U.S. troops – including the deaths of José Couso of Spain’s Telecinco and Taras Protsyuk of Reuters on 8 April, when a U.S. tank fired a shell at Baghdad’s Palestine Hotel, and the shooting of veteran Reuters journalist Mazen Dana by a U.S. tank crew on 17 August – raised serious questions about the conduct and terms of engagement of coalition troops and the need for timely and transparent investigations into the unexplained killings of journalists working in Iraq.
In the Americas, 17 journalists were killed in 2003, including nine in Colombia, four in Brazil and two in Guatemala. Colombia again proved to be the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere in which to practice journalism. Particularly in the provinces, where vast areas are outside government control, journalists who attempted to expose illegal activities and corruption, or report on the country’s civil war, risked being killed by right-wing paramilitary groups, leftist guerrillas, drug traffickers or common criminals. Hondurans were shocked by the murder of Germán Antonio Rivas, owner of the local TV station Corporación Maya Visión-Canal 7, the first killing of a journalist in Honduras in more than 20 years.
In Asia, 19 journalists were murdered, seven in the Philippines alone. Over 40 journalists have been murdered in the Philippines since democracy was restored in 1986, with not one case solved, making the country one of the most dangerous in the world for media professionals. In Nepal, three journalists were killed as the country’s media continued to be caught in the middle of a deadly conflict between Maoist rebels and government security forces.
In Europe, four journalists were killed. Three journalists were murdered in Russia, down from eight in 2002. One journalist, Volodymyr Karachevtsev, deputy editor-in-chief of the local Kuryer newspaper, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ukraine. Since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, 18 journalists have died because of their work. Many of these cases remain unsolved or heavily disputed and there have been accusations that the police have failed to carry out proper investigations.
Only two journalists were killed in Africa, both in Côte d’Ivoire, which has been plagued by civil strife. Veteran correspondent Jean Hélčne of Radio France Internationale, was shot in the head by a police officer outside police headquarters in the capital, Abidjan, where he was waiting to interview a group of detained opposition figures. Many said his killing was a result of growing anti-French feelings in the country and accusations by government supporters that French journalists have favoured the rebels since the crisis began.
The Iraq conflict, one of the bloodiest in recent history for reporters, and the continued targeting of journalists around the world, have confirmed why an organisation such as the International News Safety Institute (INSI) is so necessary. This global media safety network, established by IPI and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in cooperation with a number of other media groups, in order to promote practical measures and foster good practice in the provision of safety training to journalists, was formally launched on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day.
Speaking at the IPI World Congress in Salzburg, Austria, in September, INSI’s director, Rodney Pinder said, "The situation is deteriorating, in part because so few people are being held to account for attacking members of the news media, and in part because the old rules that used to govern conflict, in which reporters were largely accepted as impartial observers, have gone by the board. Into this situation comes INSI, dedicated to safeguarding journalists’ lives."
54 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2002
Caught In The Crosshairs: The Deliberate Targeting Of Journalists
By Michael Kudlak
Fifty-four journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2002. Fifteen were killed in Colombia alone, eight in Russia, four in the Palestinian Territories, and three each in India, Mexico, Nepal and the Philippines. Journalists were also murdered in 11 other countries.
Once again, the Americas, where 22 journalists were killed, was the most dangerous region in the world to work in as a journalist. In Colombia, journalists continued to be caught in the middle of a conflict that has lasted for nearly four decades. Despite President Alvaro Uribe's campaign pledge to clamp down on all propagators of illegal violence, at least 15 journalists were killed by leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, drug traffickers or common criminals. Three journalists were murdered in Mexico, at least two of them for their investigative reporting. In Brazil, Tim Lopes, an award-winning investigative reporter with TV Globo was brutally murdered by drug traffickers after a mock trial. In Venezuela, Jorge Tortoza, a reporter for the daily 2001, was deliberately targeted by a sniper on the roof of the City Hall while covering clashes between supporters of President Hugo Chávez and opposition demonstrators in the capital, Caracas.
In Asia, 13 journalists were murdered, including three each in India, Nepal and the Philippines. The world was shocked when Daniel Pearl, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in Pakistan while reporting on links between the terrorist network al-Qaeda and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, and then brutally murdered by his captors, who videotaped his killing. Chander Chaterpatti, editor of a local newspaper in the northern Indian state of Haryana, was slain by a religious sect, "Dera Sacha Sauda", following his reports on the sect's illegal activities. In Nepal, three journalists were killed as the country's media continued to be caught in the middle of a deadly conflict between Maoist rebels and government security forces.
In Europe, where 10 journalists were killed, Russia proved once again to be the most dangerous country for journalists. Eight journalists were killed, at least three of them because of their investigations into corruption and organised crime.
In the Middle East and North Africa, seven journalists were killed. Four journalists were killed in the Palestinian Territories, where media professionals carried out their duties under increasingly dangerous conditions. In Kuwait, Patrick Bourrat, a veteran correspondent for France's TF-1 television station, was killed when he was struck by a U.S. tank while covering military exercises near the Iraqi border.
With the de-escalation of fighting in many parts of Africa, only two journalists were killed on that continent this year, compared with 19 in 1999.
Although journalists will continue to be killed in the cross-fire while covering violent events, the deliberate targeting of journalists by those who seek to prevent the media from exposing their activities represents a worrying trend.
At the IPI World Congress in Slovenia in May, Chris Cramer, President of CNN International Networks said, "Whether we like it or not, the issue we all need to confront is that we are now seen as legitimate targets by an increasing number of individuals and factions around the world and this trend can only get worse… Journalists and those who support them are more in harm's way today than ever before. And those of us who manage and assign them have a greater than ever responsibility to ensure we do everything possible for our staff."
In response to calls for new actions to protect journalists, IPI and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in cooperation with a number of other media organisations, press freedom groups, national journalists' associations and international organisations, decided to establish a global media safety network, the International News Safety Institute (INSI), with the aim of promoting practical measures and fostering good practice in the provision of safety training to journalists and media staff. The new institute will not only focus on safety issues and assistance for journalists working on the front line or carrying out investigative journalism, but also put pressure on governments and others to take all possible steps to stop the killing of journalists and the alarming impunity that has accompanied these crimes.
55 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2001
A Year Of Living Dangerously
By Michael Kudlak
55 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2001. Eleven were killed in Colombia, eight in Afghanistan, and three in the Palestinian Territories and the Philippines, respectively. Journalists were also murdered in 24 other countries. The death toll for 2000 was 56.
The Americas, where at least 21 journalists were killed, was again the most dangerous region in the world to practice journalism. In Colombia, 11 journalists were killed by leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups, or organised criminals. Two journalists were murdered in Mexico near the U.S. border, where drug traffickers pose a significant threat to journalists reporting on corruption and criminal activities.
In the United States, terrorism claimed the lives of two journalists. William Biggart, a free-lance news photographer, was killed in the 11 September terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The photographer had rushed to the scene after hearing about the attacks. His body was found, four days later, in the rubble at "Ground Zero". Robert Stevens, a photo editor for American Media Inc., a tabloid newspaper publisher, was a victim of the anthrax outbreak that followed the 11 September attacks. He died just over two weeks after inhaling anthrax allegedly contained in a letter. Employees of at least four other media organisations, ABC, CBS, NBC, and The New York Post, were reportedly also exposed to the disease.
In Asia, 16 journalists were murdered. Eight journalists were killed in Afghanistan within a period of only 17 days, intensifying efforts by news organisations, NGOs and inter-governmental organisations to reduce the risks of journalists and media workers reporting from war zones and regions of conflicts. Three journalists were killed in the Philippines, two in Bangladesh, and one each in China, Indonesia and Thailand.
In Europe, where 11 journalists were killed, terrorists were behind the murder of at least two media professionals. In Spain, Santiago Oleaga Elejabarrieta, chief financial officer of a leading regional daily, El Diario Vasco, was murdered by Basque terrorists in the city of San Sebastian. In Northern Ireland, investigative journalist Martin O'Hagan was shot dead by Protestant terrorists in the town of Lurgan, County Armagh. He was the first journalist to be killed in Northern Ireland since the conflict began over 30 years ago. The body of Nicolas Giudici, a journalist who covered separatist movements in Corsica, was found in a river in the northern part of the French island. He had been shot twice.
Two journalists were killed, respectively, in Ukraine, where last year's murder of on-line journalist Georgiy Gongadze remains unsolved, and in Kosovo, where Kerem Lawton, a British producer for Associated Press Television News, was killed by shrapnel while covering the conflict between ethnic Albanian insurgents and the Macedonian army.
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), six journalists were killed, including three in the Palestinian Territories, where media professionals carried out their duties under extremely dangerous conditions as the Al Aqsa Intifada entered its second year. Two journalists were killed while covering a pro-democracy march by ethnic Berbers in Algiers. In Kuwait, veteran journalist and women's rights campaigner Hedayah Sultan Al-Salem was shot dead as she sat in her car at a traffic light.
In a positive development, only one journalist was killed in Africa, down from nine in 2000 and 19 in 1999.
56 JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA WORKERS KILLED IN 2000
56 journalists and media workers were killed world-wide in 2000, compared with 86 in 1999. 11 journalists were killed in Colombia, six in Russia, and four in India and Pakistan, respectively. Journalists were also murdered in 23 other countries.
The de-escalation of fighting in the Balkans and other regions of the world meant that fewer journalists were caught in the cross-fire, but the deliberate killing of journalists – the ultimate form of censorship – by left or right-wing extremists, organised criminals and corrupt officials, who sought to prevent the media from exposing their activities, continued.
The Americas, where at least 20 journalists were killed, was the most dangerous region in the world to work in as a journalist during 2000. In Colombia, journalists continued to be caught in the middle of a conflict that has lasted almost four decades. 11 journalists were killed – at least six of them because of their profession – by leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups, or organised criminals. In Mexico, three journalists were killed – two of them near the Texas border, where drug traffickers pose a significant threat to journalists reporting on corruption and criminal activities. In Haiti, the country's most prominent political journalist, Jean Léopold Dominique, was shot dead by unidentified assassins. And in the United States, the prominent editor of an on-line newsletter, was shot to death near his home in Venice, California.
In Asia, 15 journalists were murdered, including four each in India and Pakistan. In Sri Lanka, Mylvaganam Nimalarnjan, a veteran contributor to the BBC's Sinhala and Tamil services, was killed when gunmen shot him in his home in Jaffna, the centre of that country's 17-year-old civil war.
In Europe, 10 journalists were killed. Murder proved to be the preferred method of censorship in at least six cases in Russia. In Spain, political columnist José Luis López de la Calle was shot dead by ETA terrorists, while Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma was incriminated in the grisly death of the critical on-line journalist Georgiy Gongadze, whose decapitated body was found outside Kiev in early November.
In Africa, nine journalists were killed, including Spanish cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno de Mora and veteran American correspondent Kurt Schork, who were caught in a rebel ambush in Sierra Leone, and the prominent Mozambican investigative journalist Carlos Cardos, who was shot dead in his car in Maputo.
Two media workers were killed in the Middle East. Abed Takoush, a Lebanese driver for BBC TV News was killed when his car was hit by an Israeli tank missile in southern Lebanon, while the director of the Palestinian Wafa news agency died of injuries sustained in a mysterious explosion in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
86 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 1999
86 Journalists and Media Staff Killed in 'Infamous Year' of Murder and Conflict
During 1999 86 journalists and media staff were killed or murdered in the course of their work, making it one of the worst years on record. Most died because they were caught up in conflicts in the Balkans, in Sierra Leone, and in Colombia, but unexplained assassinations and murders of reporters and editors account for many of the deaths.
The 1999 total is second only to the horrifying toll of 1994 when wars in Bosnia and genocide in Rwanda were primarily responsible for a sudden surge in killings of journalists. Nevertheless, we end the century on a note of dismay. Despite much talk of ethical principles and human rights, the struggle for press freedom still remains a lofty ambition in many parts of the world.
Once again we highlight the failure of Governments and investigating authorities to give priority to finding and prosecuting those responsible for the assassination of journalists. This remains a major concern. Most killings remain unsolved mysteries.
Governments must give proper priority to the investigation of these deaths. When the authorities show reluctance to bring the murderers to justice they give comfort to the enemies of democracy.
The list includes the names of many media support staff who have died alongside journalists. Journalism would be impossible without the help of other mediaworkers, who, like reporters, are exposed to life-threatening risks while working in the field.
The 1999 list reveals a total of 86 deaths, of which 69 have been confirmed and 17 are still under investigation where there may be doubts as to whether a journalist was killed for his work. These deaths are the tip of an iceberg of physical assaults, jailings and disappearances that affect journalists every year. For every death recorded there are numerous instances of intimidation and violence that are not listed.
Some 25 journalists and media workers died in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, alone, of which 16 were victims of the NATO bombing of the Radio Television Serbia building in Belgrade in April.
Actions against independent media by the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have contributed to an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the region. Particularly horrifying was the brutal assassination of Devni Telegraf Editor Slavko Curuvija after ferocious criticism of his journalism by the authorities.
The systematic oppression of independent media by the Belgrade regime of Slobodan Milosevic was not diminished by the misguided and reckless decision of NATO to target media during the 1999 bombing campaign. Indeed, this action did not solve the problem of propaganda nor did it prevent the imposition of new legal and political pressures on journalists.
But journalists and media have been targeted everywhere. In India, media came under fire in the violent exchanges on the disputed border with Kashmir and in Chechnya, Russian forces bombed and struck at Chechen media facilities in Grozny. A total of 9 journalists and media staff died in Russia and Chechnya. While some were caught up in the conflict, many of the victims in Russia died at the hands of unknown assassins.
In Africa, the civil war in Sierra Leone claimed some 10 victims among the local community of journalists’ and an undeclared civil war in Colombia has led to the death of 6 journalists. At the same time two journalists were brutally killed in East Timor at the hands of Indonesian forces.
The crisis in Colombia has rekindled fears that Latin America journalists remain vulnerable to pressure from criminal gangs and political terrorists. There is a fear that we are slipping back into the dark days of the early 1990s when the killing of journalists became almost a routine business for crooks and terror gangs.