WASHINGTON, March 14: Journalists in Russia are increasingly the targets of contract-style killings and Iraq remains the most dangerous place for reporters, said a report on Monday by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In its annual “Attacks on the Press” survey, the journalists’ group said a total of 56 journalists were killed last year while on assignment, making the year the deadliest for journalists in the decade since 1994 when 66 were killed — most of those in Algeria’s war.

Iraq is the most dangerous place to report from, with 23 journalists killed in the line of duty last year and 22 abducted. “To bring us that story, journalists have had to take enormous risks,” CPJ executive director Ann Cooper told a news conference.—Reuters