430 journalists killed between 2007-12: UNESCO

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 26 March 2014

A UNESCO report reveals that 430 journalists were killed from 2007 to 2012, significantly increasing due to conflicts related to the Arab Spring. Syria is identified as the most dangerous location for journalists.

Summary

The UN body monitoring press freedoms says instabilities associated with the Arab Spring have contributed to a spike in the number of journalists killed in recent years.

In a report published on Tuesday, UNESCO says 430 journalists were killed between 2007 and 2012. In 2012, UNESCO says 121 journalists were killed, over double the 59 that died in 2007. According to the report, “uprisings in part of the Arab region” were behind a rise in killings in conflict-zones and that Syria, ravaged by a civil war since 2011, is the most dangerous place to work.

UNESCO describes the killing of journalists as “the ultimate form of censorship.”

A recent report from Reporters Without Borders says fewer journalists were killed in 2013 than the year before, but more were kidnapped. - AP

KEY POINTS:

• 430 journalists killed between 2007 and 2012.
• 121 journalists killed in 2012, double the number from 2007.
• Arab Spring uprisings contributed to the rise in killings.
• Syria is the most dangerous country for journalists.
• Killing journalists is viewed as the ultimate form of censorship.