At least 67 journalists were killed in 2022, a 50% increase from the previous year, media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on Tuesday.
Findings
The CPJ stated that 41 journalists died in direct connection with their work, and it remains unclear whether the killings of the 26 others were work-related. More than half of the deaths occurred in just three countries — Ukraine (15), Mexico (13), and Haiti (7). The deaths in these countries were the highest yearly numbers ever recorded by the CPJ.
Reporters died covering crime and conflicts in Colombia, Chad, Palestine, Myanmar, Brazil, Turkey, and the US as well.
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“Their deaths underline the extent of threats faced by the press around the world, including in countries with democratically elected governments,” CPJ stated.
“Deadliest Region” for Journalists
According to the CPJ, Latin America was the “deadliest region” to practice journalism in 2022. The watchdog documented the deaths of 30 journalists in the region.
In Mexico, at least 13 reporters died last year, the highest number of deaths documented by the CPJ in a single year. In Haiti, journalists covering the gang violence and political crisis sparked by the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse “faced an alarming upsurge in violent attacks.” Seven Haitian reporters were killed.
It documented work-related killings of four journalists in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia, and is still investigating the deaths of six reporters in Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay.
Ukraine
At least 15 reporters, including several foreign correspondents, were killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on 24 February. The CPJ notes that most journalists died in the early stages of the war, and it did not find any death reports since May.
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However, it warned that the situation in Ukraine remains “perilous” for journalists, with reporters frequently injured by shelling, and many reporting being intentionally targeted by Russian forces.
India and Pakistan
The CPJ reported the death of one Pakistani journalist, Arshad Sharif, in 2022. Sharif, who had covered corruption in Pakistan, was shot dead in Nairobi, Kenya, during a foreign assignment. Pakistani investigators have called his death a “planned targeted assassination.”
Although the report did not mention India, the CPJ’s database reveals that two Indian journalists were killed last year.