Vienna: A total 103 journalists were killed
in 2011, with Mexico the most dangerous place to work for the
media, Vienna-based press watchdog IPI said on Thursday.
This was the second highest toll on record after 2009,
when 110 journalists were killed while covering a story.
"The numbers are getting worse," the International Press
Institute said in a statement, noting that 55 journalists were
killed in 2001.
"In 2002, 19 countries appeared on the IPI Death Watch
list. In 2011, there were 40 -- more than in any year of the
past decade."
With 10 journalists killed there in the past year, Mexico
was the deadliest country for the media to work, IPI said.
Iraq came second with nine deaths -- mostly from bombings
-- followed by Honduras, Pakistan and Yemen, each with six
deaths, and Libya and Brazil with five deaths.
In North Africa and the Middle East, journalists were
mostly killed during the Arab Spring uprisings.
In sub-Saharan Africa, in Russia and in several cases in
Pakistan, the reporters were victims of targeted killings, IPI
said.
"Almost all of the journalists killed in 2011 were local
reporters and cameramen covering local conflicts, corruption
and other illegal activities, it said.
"Tragically, the likelihood that the perpetrators will be
brought to justice is close to zero. Impunity is fuelling the
murders."
IPI also noted a "trend of increasing violence against
journalists in the Western hemisphere" and called on
governments to respect the media`s right to work freely.
Aside from targeted killings, the IPI Death Watch list
includes journalists killed in natural disasters, plane
crashes and attacks while covering a story.
In its own tally for 2011, Reporters without Borders
counted 66 journalists` deaths.
PTI
