ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in its new report recorded the killing of 182 journalists in 2016-17 — a slight decrease in the number of fatalities compared to the previous two-year period.

However, compared to ear­­lier periods — 2007 to 2011 — numbers remain ele­vated, according to the 2018 Director-General Report on the Safety of Journalists, rel­eased for the “Inter­nat­ional Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journa­lists” to be observed on Nov 2.

In 2017, the largest number of fatal attacks (27 killings) took place in Asia and the Pacific region, representing 34 per cent of the total, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 28pc (22 killings). In the Arab states region, Unesco documented 18 killings, representing 22pc of killings of journalists registered worldwide.

Overall, it noted, the number of killings in 2016-17 was lower than that in the previous two-year period, when 213 killings were recorded. However, this trend did not appear to be confirmed in 2018, with 80 killings already condemned by the Unesco director general as of Oct 9 this year.

Unesco this year sent a request for information to 56 member states where it recorded killings of journalists between 2006 and 2017, and for which records showed no information that the judicial cases had been resolved. In 2017, 62 member states received such a request.

Pakistan did not submit information on specific cases of killings of journalists, but did submit detailed information on concrete measures targeted at improving safety of journalists and combating impunity, the report said.

In 2017, local journalists represented 90pc of those murdered and 94pc in 2016. Of the 14 foreign victims in 2016-17, half were killed in countries experiencing conflict.

Published in Dawn, October 27th , 2018

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