Toll includes nine in Afghanistan, eight in Mexico, four in India and three in Pakistan
\n Islamabad
\nA total of 45 journalists were killed worldwide in 2021, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday — \u201cone of the lowest death tolls\u201d it has recorded for any year.
\nThe figure tracked closely with a toll of 46 killings of journalists given two weeks ago by another media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (known by its initials RSF), which also noted it as its lowest-ever since starting its tallies in 1995.
\n\u201cWhile this decrease is welcome news, it is small comfort in the face of continued violence,\u201d the Brussels-based IFJ said in a statement.
\nThe toll included nine in Afghanistan, the highest number suffered by a single country.
\nElsewhere, eight died in Mexico, four in India and three in Pakistan.
\nThe IFJ said the media workers \u201cmore often than not are killed for exposing corruption, crime and abuse of power in their communities, cities and countries\u201d.
\nAccording to the group\u2019s count, the Asia-Pacific region — which includes Afghanistan — was the deadliest, with 20 killings. Then came the Americas, with 10, Africa, with eight, Europe with six, and the Middle East and Arab countries with just one. It also mentioned the death of two journalists in a \u201cdeadly accident\u201d in Iran.
\nWhile \u201cthe risks associated with armed conflict have reduced in recent years\u201d because fewer journalists were able to report on the ground, \u201cthe threats of crime gang and drug cartels\u2019 rule from the slums in Mexico to the streets of European cities in Greece and the Netherlands continue to increase\u201d, it added.
\nIFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger emphasised his organisation\u2019s support for a UN convention for the protection of journalists to \u201censure accountability for journalists\u2019 killings\u201d.
\nThe IFJ\u2019s figures differed slightly from those given by RSF, which counted seven journalists killed in Mexico, six in Afghanistan, and four each in Yemen and India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Toll includes nine in Afghanistan, eight in Mexico, four in India and three in Pakistan Islamabad A total of 45 journalists were killed worldwide in 2021, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday — \u201cone of the lowest death tolls\u201d it has recorded for any year. The figure tracked closely with a toll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-236446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n