Iraq, Syria and Mexico top list of journalists killed since 2003: RSF

Iraq and Syria, two countries at war, followed by Mexico, are the countries where the most journalists have been killed in the last two decades, according to a report published this Friday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

A total of 1,668 journalists lost their lives “in the exercise of their profession” between 2003 and 2022, about 80 on average each year, according to the balance of the Paris-based NGO.

“Iraq and Syria are the two countries with the highest number of victims, since the sum of both yields a total of 578 murders in 20 years, that is, more than a third of all journalists killed,” he says.

They are followed by Mexico, with 125 reporters killed, the Philippines (107) and Afghanistan (81).

Brazil (42), Colombia (31) and Honduras (26) are also among the 15 countries with the highest number of homicides of this type. They occupy the ninth, eleventh and thirteenth position, respectively.

According to RSF, the American continent was “unquestionably the more dangerous for the media” in 2022, since there they took the lives of 47.4% of the 58 murdered during this year.

“In the last two decades, more journalists have been killed in ‘zones at peace’ than in ‘zones at war’, especially for their investigations into corruption and organized crime,” RSF explains.

Up to 13 journalists, according to government data, were killed this year in Mexico, where there were high-profile cases such as that of Fredid Román, shot to death after writing about the disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa in 2014.

“Behind the figures, hide the faces, personality, talent and commitment of those who have paid with their lives for the search for information, the pursuit of the truth and their passion for journalism”, said Christophe Deloire, RSF secretary general, in statements included in the report.

2012 and 2013, the darkest years

In the 21st century, the darkest years for journalists were 2012 and 2013, with 144 and 142 homicides, “mainly because of the conflict in Syria,” the organization highlights.

Then came “a period of progressive calm, which ended with historically low numbers as of 2019,” with 54 murders, according to the report.

Last year there were 51 homicides of this type.

However, the number increased again in 2022, with 58 deaths, mainly due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of that conflict.

Eight journalists have lost their lives since February on Ukrainian territory, adding to the 12 killed “in the previous 19 years.”

Ukraine (20) is the European country with the second highest number of journalists murdered in the last twenty years, only surpassed by Russia (25).

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power, “the attacks – including fatal ones – on press freedom have been systematic,” says RSF, recalling the case of Anna Politkóvskaya, executed in 2006.

With eight murdered, France is the fourth European country with the most dead reporters, mainly due to the 2015 Islamist attack against the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Eight journalists have also had their lives taken in the United States since 2003.

The vast majority of those murdered around the world are men (95%), but in recent years the number of female reporters killed has increased.

According to UNESCO, the killings of journalists usually go unpunished in nine out of ten cases.