2023, deadliest year for journalists, says PEC

THE Press Emblem Campaign ( PEC), a Geneva- based non- governmental organisation with special consultative status with the United Nations, has described 2023 as the deadliest year in the last 10 years with the killing of 140 journalists during the year.

Two- thirds of the victims, according to the group, were in the Middle East, with almost one journalist killed every day in the last three months of the year in Gaza.

The 140 media workers were killed in 28 countries, with at least 81 of them killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October ( 106 according to Gaza Media Office, the differences in the figures are due to differences in the qualification of the journalist profession).

All the media workers killed in Gaza were Palestinian with most of them working for several media, including foreign media.

PEC said they were killed in indiscriminate Israeli strikes, often in their homes, along with members of their families.

PEC President, Blaise Lempen, said the group condemns the “indiscriminate strikes, which do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters. While it is difficult to verify whether journalists were intentionally targeted or not, the Israeli army has systematically destroyed the Palestinian media in Gaza by bombing their offices and facilities.” PEC noted that this is the highest media death toll in a conflict in such a short space of time, adding that it regrets that foreign media access to Gaza remains impracticable due to the security conditions, which prevents independent reporting from the parties to the conflict.

PEC said 59 journalists were killed in 27 countries, outside of the Gaza Strip, pointing out that the situation did not improve in Mexico, where nine journalists were killed; and in Guatemala, the situation has deteriorated with five journalists killed. It stated that four journalists died in the war in Ukraine ( one Italian, one French, two Russians), as did four in Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7.

According to PEC, three victims were recorded in Cameroun, India, Lebanon and Pakistan. Two victims were reported in the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the United States of America; and one journalist killed in the following countries: Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Paraguay, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.

By region, the Middle East led with 64 per cent of cases, or 90 deaths, followed by Latin America with 20, Asia with 12, Africa with 11, Europe with four and North America with three. The PEC strongly condemned all the attacks and sent its condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones.