GENEVA
War in the Middle East is being blamed for a seven percent rise in the number of journalists killed in the first six months of this year, according to new data from the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC).
The group, a NGO aimed at strengthening legal protection and safety for journalists on dangerous missions, says 71 reporters were killed in the first half of 2015.
"At least 24 journalists were killed in targeted terrorist acts (mostly in France, Libya and Iraq) and around 17 accidentally covering fighting (in Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Syria, South Sudan and Ukraine).
“Nearly 30 journalists were murdered in criminal acts outside war zones (especially in Latin America, Philippines and India)," the PEC said in its report on Thursday.
The Charlie Hebdo killings in France and the war in Ukraine were pinpointed as reasons for a spike in European journalism deaths.
"Never before has Europe lost so many journalists since the war in ex-Yugoslavia during the 90s. Eight journalists killed during the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, and another four in Ukraine explain this deterioration, with one journalist killed in an isolated crime in Poland," the report said.
According to the PEC, the Middle East and North Africa are the deadliest regions for journalists as 23 reporters (Libya 8, Yemen 6, Iraq 6, Syria 2 and one in Gaza) were killed in these areas.
Latin America follows the Middle East and North Africa with 17 journalists killed across seven countries and Europe comes in third place with 13 killed.
This year’s death toll is already over half of the entire 2014 total when 138 journalists were killed across 32 countries according to the PEC’s annual report -- making it the second-deadliest year for media workers since 2012.
