Killed for their work
In another time, it would have been hard to believe the purported leader of the free world, the U.S. president, would have bonded with a dictatorial tyrant like Russia’s Vladimir Putin over anything. But bond Donald Trump and Putin have, over many things, especially in their scorn of press freedoms.
In June, they were even caught on tape by Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs discussing how to solve the problem of a free press. “Get rid of them,” Trump said. “Fake news is a great term, isn’t it?” Putin agreed. Then they “shared a chuckle,” Jacobs tweeted.
Their menacing attitude imperils the lives of journalists in their own countries — and increasingly in those they influence.
So can it be any wonder that Reporters Without Borders says 49 professional journalists were killed around the world in 2019 as a result of doing their jobs?
That’s down dramatically — 44 per cent — from last year’s figure of 63. But this year’s “historically low” figure, compared with an annual average of 80 journalists killed during the past two decades, isn’t about an improvement in press freedoms. It’s about a decrease in the number of journalists killed in war zones like Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Indeed, more journalists (59 per cent) are being killed in countries at peace than in war zones, the organization reports.
And most menacingly, there has been a two-per-cent increase in the number of journalists being deliberately murdered or targeted. Meanwhile, the number of journalists detained in connection with their work is up by 12 per cent. None of this bodes well for democracy. Here are the names of those 49 who were killed in 2019:
JOURNALISTS
Khairkhah Sultan Mahmoud, Afghanistan, Zhman TV Rahmani Rahimullah, Afghanistan, Radio Hamseda Arya Shafiq, Afghanistan, Radio Mamseda Mauricio Lezama, Colombia, filmmaker Ahmed Hussein-Suale, Ghana, BBC Néhémie Joseph, Haiti, Panic FM Edgar Joel Aguilar, Honduras, Cablemar TV Leonardo Gabriel Hernandez, Honduras, Valle TV Hisham Fares Al-Adhami, Iraq, freelance Mohamed Ben Khalifa, Libya, affiliation not noted Nevith Condes Jaramillo, Mexico, El Observatorio de Sur Jorge Ruiz Vazquez, Mexico, El Grafico de Xalapa Rogelio Barragan Perez, Mexico, Guerrero Al Instante Norma Sarabia Garduza, Mexico, Tabasco hoy Omar Ivan Camacho Mascareno, Mexico, Évora Sport Francisco Romero Diaz, Mexico, Quintana Roo Hoy Telesforo Santiago Enriquez, Mexico, Radio Stereo Cafetal Santiago Barroso, Mexico, Rio Digital, Red 653, Contrasena Jesus Eugenio Ramos Rodriguez, Mexico, Nuestra Region Hoy Rafael Murua Manriquez, Mexico, Radio Kashana Precious Owolabi, Nigeria, Channels TV Urooj Iqbal, Pakistan, affiliation not noted Mirza Waseem Baig, Pakistan, 92 News Malik Amanullah Khan, Pakistan, Meezan-e-Adl Ali Sher Rajpar, Pakistan, Awami Awaz Benji Caballero, Philippines, affiliation not noted Dindo Generoso, Philippines, affiliation not noted Eduardo Dizon, Philippines, Brigada News FM Papy Mahamba Mumbere, Democratic Republic of Congo, Radio communautaire de Lwemba Lyra McKee, United Kingdom, freelance Abdinasir Abdulle Ga’al, Somalia, Radio Station of Somali National Army (SNA) Hodan Nalayeh, Somalia, Integration TV Mohamed Sahal Omar, Somalia, SBC TV Abdel Hamid Al-Youssef, Syria, Kafr Rumah Media Office Mohamed Rasho, Syria, Cira TV Saad Ahmad, Syria, Anha Obed Nangbatna, Chad, Télé Tchad Vadym Komarov, Ukraine, affiliation not noted
CITIZEN JOURNALISTS
Noori Javid, Afghanistan, Radio Neshat Amjed Al-Dahamat, Iraq, affiliation not noted Muhammad Bilal Khan, Pakistan, affiliation not noted Samer Al-Salloum, Syria, affiliation not noted Omar Al-Dimashqi, Syria, affiliation not noted Welat Erdemci, Syria, independent filmmaker Wesam Al-Dimashqi, Syria, affiliation not noted Anas Al-Dyab, Syria, Idlib Amjad Bakir, Syria, affiliation not noted Ghaleb Labhash, Syria, affiliation not noted