Journalists are not safe; India had 58 scribes eliminated since 2003 making it 8th on the list

A year-end report by REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS sheds light on the dark reality of working as a journalist in countries where press freedom is constantly under threat. 

In last two decades since 2003; 1,668 journalists have been killed across the world. India lost 58 and thus became 8th in the list. 

 

Around 80 % of these total deaths have taken place in 15 countries. 

Pakistan is fifth on this list, with 93 journalists killed since 2003. Afghanistan saw 81 deaths of journalists in this period and was sixth in the list. More worrying are facts such as nearly 80 journalists have been killed worldwide every year, with 2012 and 2013 being the years where violence peaked, largely due to the war in Syria. 

Of course, the report points out that journalists face the greatest risk in war zones, which explains why Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Palestine are so prominent on the list. 

In Europe, Russia has Europe’s highest death toll, and the report notes that press freedom has worsened in the years since Vladimir Putin came to power.

If experts are to be believed,  perhaps worldwide the basic task of reporting the truth has become a daunting and dangerous job. In many cases, a journalist's arrest stems from a simple social media post. 

In Pakistan, says an edit in 'Dawn', journalists have been killed not only by militants and insurgents but also by unidentified state actors. The common thread in these killings is that truth and justice are elusive, and killers walk free while families look in vain for answers. 

The recent killing of Arshad Sharif in Kenya under mysterious circumstances only underscores this fact, and points to a chilling reality that "Pakistani journalists and dissidents are not safe from threats even outside the country", it says. 

Earlier in May this year, it was told that India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from 2021 ranking of 142nd out of 180 countries. The central government had, however, rejected the report.  

A cartoon portrayal about Pakistan: 'Dawn'