Over 100 journalists were killed during performing their professional duties in 2018, the non-governmental organization Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said on Monday.
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2018) Over 100 journalists were killed during performing their professional duties in 2018, the non-governmental organization Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said on Monday.PEC's annual report says that the number of journalists killings in 2018 increased by 14 percent year-on-year to 113. The murders were registered in 30 countries worldwide.
The largest number of casualties among media employees was recorded in Afghanistan (17 killed), Mexico (17) and in Syria (11). Yemen and India have each seen eight journalists killed, another six journalists were killed in the United States, the PEC said.
Three journalists were killed in Russia, and one in Ukraine this year, the report claims.
According to the PEC, a Yekaterinburg-based journalist of the Novy Den news agency Maxim Borodin was killed in April 15 and a correspondent of the Argumenty i Fakty publishing house Sergey Grachev was killed on August 1 in Nizhny Novgorod, although the investigators reported that there was no criminal motive in their death. The prosecution also saw no links of murder of Nizhny Novgorod-based journalist Denis Suvorov on July 23 with his professional activities.
In Ukraine, a public activist and Kherson mayor's aide Kateryna Handziuk died on November 4 of wounds sustained in a sulfuric acid attack on her in late July.
Among other countries dangerous for journalists, are Pakistan, Brazil, the Philippines, and the Central African Republic, where three journalists from Russia were killed, Colombia, Iraq, Ecuador, Somalia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, and Gaza Strip.
Russian nationals Orkhan Dzhemal, Kirill Radchenko, and Alexander Rastorguev were killed in car on July 30. Their murder has become a high-profile case both inside and outside Russia. They had overdue press cards of various media with them. An investigative media of Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky confirmed that it had sent the three journalists to the CAR to work on a documentary about mercenary forces allegedly active in the country. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, preliminary information showed robbery was the motivation behind the attack.
