New Delhi: More than three quarters of the 99 journalists and media workers killed worldwide in 2023 died in the Israel-Gaza war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The conflict claimed the lives of more journalists in three months than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year, the CPJ report said.
Many journalist victims’ families were killed along with them in Gaza, their colleagues died or fled. However, Israeli military authorities adamantly denied targeting journalists or provided only scant information when they acknowledged press killings, it added.
India is among the countries that have experienced a steady stream of journalist killings from 1997 to 2023. Other countries on the list include Iraq, the Philippines, Mexico, Pakistan, and Somalia, the report added.
The global total for 2023, marking the highest count since 2015 and a nearly 44% surge from 2022, comprises a record-breaking number of journalist deaths at 78, according to CPJ. These deaths, per the report, were found to be work-related, with eight additional cases currently under investigation.
However, once the deaths in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon were excluded, killings dropped markedly compared to 2022.
In 2022, CPJ documented a total of 69 deaths, 43 of which were work-related.
“However, the declining number is not an indication that journalism has become safer in other parts of the world. Indeed, CPJ’s annual prison census found that 2023 jailings of journalists – another key indicator of conditions for journalists and press freedom – remain close to record highs established in 2022,” it said.
Asia remains the region with the highest number of journalists in jail.
In its 2023 Prison Census, CPJ said India, which holds seven journalists, has used security laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act to silence the media.
In the previous year, the situation remained the same, with CPJ flagging the issue in its annual prison census.
