Fifty-two journalists and media workers have been killed in the line of duty this year, according to annual figures from the International Federation of Journalists. A further 235 cases related to his work are in jail, the report said.
Mexico tops the list of countries with the highest number of journalists killed in 2020, with 13 murders for the fourth time in five years, followed by Pakistan with five. Three deaths have been reported each in Afghanistan, India, Iraq and Nigeria.
The global death toll is around the same level as when the Global Journalists Union began counting its serious annual deaths 50 years ago and is part of a recent downward trend.
Anthony Belanger, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), said: “The decline in journalist killings in recent years cannot hide the deadly dangers and the ongoing threats to journalists to carry out their work.”
In three decades the IFJ is counting, 2,658 journalists have been killed.
Belanger said: “These are not just statistics. They are our friends and colleagues who have dedicated their lives to their work as journalists, and have paid the ultimate price.
“We not only remember them but we will prosecute every case, forcing governments and law enforcement officials to bring their killers to justice.”
The IFJ report will be officially released on Thursday to mark the International Day for Human Rights. The presentation is also in line with the online conference on press freedom organized by the Dutch government and the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO.
The IFJ, which has 1,000,000,000 members in 1,150 countries, also counts a number of journalists eager to avoid scrutiny of their actions by governments, who have often been imprisoned without charge.
IFJ President Younes Mazhaid said: “These findings point to the gross abuse of power by governments seeking to defend themselves against responsibility by imprisoning journalists and denying them responsible action.
“The astonishing number of our comrades in detention is a tight reminder of the profit-seeking journalists around the world to pay for their search for the truth in the public interest.”
The Hague conference will highlight the essential role of journalists, said UNESCO Director-General Dre Azoule. “Not only do journalists deliver important information during an epidemic, but they help us distinguish every kind of truth from lies, which is fundamental to our social contract,” he said.
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blackk opened the conference and discussed better security for the meeting with dozens of other ministers. “Journalists around the world should be better protected so that they can play the role of watchdogs of democracy,” Block said.
