New York, May 01: India figures among 13 most dangerous countries for journalists to work and fares very poorly when it comes to prosecuting killers of scribes, according to city-based Committee to Protect Journalist's report released late Wednesday.
CPJ's list of countries tagged dangerous for journalists to work, apart from India, included five others from south Asia -- Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Iraq tops the most dangerous country list in the world.
"Every time a journalist is murdered and the killer is allowed to walk free, it sends a terrible signal to the press and to others who would harm journalists," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon while releasing the report.
"Governments on this list must do more to demonstrate a real commitment to a free press. Lip service would not help save journalists' lives. We are calling for action: through investigation and vigorous prosecution of all journalist homicides," he added.
The only compensation for India are that the country lies on the bottom of the 13-country list and a CPJ report that says India has the "freest press". However, as elsewhere, politics and organised crime are dangerous stories to cover in the country, it said.
Iraq tops the dangerous list with an "Impunity Index Rating (IIR)" of 2.821 unsolved journalist murders per one million of the population. Sierra Leone comes next with an IIR of 1.636 followed by Somalia at 0.610.
The report says Iraq has become the most dangerous country for the press after the US-led invasion in 2003 gave rise to armed conflicts and sectarian violence. Journalists, it pointed out, have generally not died in the combat but were targeted for professional reasons and killed.
India's IIR stood at 0.005 unsolved murders per one million of the population. The report said all victims were local reporters.
Among the six south Asian countries, Sri Lanka tops the list with an IIR of 0.408 unsolved journalist murders per million of the population.
Afghanistan has an index of 0.279, followed by Nepal at 0.185, with Bangladesh and Pakistan at 0.056 and 0.051 respectively.
The report, released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, says that most countries on the list have democracy and are not at war but still journalists are regularly targeted for murder and no one is held accountable.
Simon said the the list contains names of countries where elected governments failed alarmingly to protect journalists.
Among other nations on the list, the index for Colombia stood at 0.439, Philippines 0.289, Russia 0.098 and Mexico 0.068.
For murders of journalists in Pakistan, the report blames political unrest, sectarian strife and tribal warfare. Eight Pakistani journalists were murdered since 1998.
In Bangladesh, the report says, political instability and entrenched corruption, the toughest stories to cover, make the life of journalists difficult and dangerous. Eight murders of journalists in the country remain unsolved.
In Sri Lanka, the CPJ says journalists are more likely to die in cross-fire with many of the victims being ethnic Tamils.
In Nepal, five journalists murders remain unsolved. Of the five killed, four were abducted and executed while in captivity.
The report said despite the conflict in Afghanistan, journalists are more likely to be targeted murders than be killed in a combat situation. .
In Russia, CPJ says business, official corruption and human rights abuses are among the most dangerous beats. Fourteen journalists were murdered with impunity since 1998.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, May 01, 2008, 00:00