134 journos killed in 2007

2008-01-01 09:18

Brussels - At least 134 media workers were killed on assignment in 2007, a media group said on Monday, with most of the killings in Iraq - the most dangerous location for journalists since the start of the US-led war there.

The Middle East was by far the deadliest region, with 68 killings in the region, followed by Somalia with eight killed, Pakistan with seven, Mexico and Sri Lanka each with six, and the Philippines with five, according to the International Federation of Journalists.

"Violence against journalists remained at extremely high levels for the third year in a row," IFJ President Jim Boumelha said. "Our colleagues have been targeted because of their work, or killed covering dangerous stories, often in the rush to cover breaking news."

In addition to the 134 killings in 2007, 37 media workers died accidentally on the job, bringing the total number of deaths for the year to 171, the Brussels-based organisation said.

The numbers represented a slight decrease from 2006, when at least 177 deaths were reported worldwide, including at least 155 murders or unexplained deaths.

"The threats of targeting, particularly in combat zones like Iraq, continue unabated," the group said.

Iraq has been the most dangerous country for journalists since the US-led military operation started in 2003, with at least 65 journalists and other media staff killed in the country in 2007, the IFJ said - three fewer than in 2006. Of those who died, the group said it believed all but one was an Iraqi national.

Coverage of drug traffickers led to six confirmed deaths in Mexico, while throughout Latin America journalists were killed for reporting on criminal gangs, drug trafficking and shady politics, said the federation, which represents 600 000 journalists from 120 countries.

In the vast majority of the 2007 killings, the media workers targeted were working for national or regional media and were killed in their own communities, the IFJ said.

The deaths "highlight the problem of impunity that continues to plague the media sector. Many of this year's crimes are unsolved and will remain so", it said.

The IFJ counts among the deaths all people who were employed by media organisations and died performing their duties, be they journalists, photographers, interpreters or drivers.

Another group defending journalists' interests, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, put the number of media workers killed in 2007 at 106.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, another group using stricter definitions, said earlier this month 64 journalists 17 countries - including 31 in Iraq - were killed in 2007.

- AP