Arab spring turns bloody for journalists
Sophie Tarr | Jan 11, 2012 | Comments 0
- In Cairo, foreign journalists and Egyptian anti-government demonstrators take cover during clashes with pro-regime opponents February 3, 2011. PHOTO: Miguel Medina/AFP
SIXTY-four journalists and other media workers were killed worldwide because of their work last year, according to the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers WAN-IFRA.
The global industry body reports that 10 journalists were killed in Pakistan for the second consecutive year, making it the deadliest
country for journalists.
But the Arab region was the world’s most dangerous for media workers, with 22 killed.
Six journalists were killed in Iraq, and the brutal crackdowns that followed popular uprisings in Bahrain, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia,
Syria and Yemen cost 16 lives.
WAN-IFRA CEO Christoph Riess said the numbers were a reminder that journalists around the world continue to be targeted, often with impunity.
“When journalists are attacked and killed merely for doing their jobs, the entire society suffers,” he said.
“The right of all citizens to the free flow of information is diminished by these acts. These murders must be prosecuted thoroughly and the perpetrators brought to justice.”
The 2011 death toll is down from the 2010 figure of 66.
