New Delhi: According to a report by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), no one has been held accountable for the murders of 81% of journalists over the last 10 years. On Thursday, CPJ in its annual Global Impunity Index published the report.
The CPJ, an independent, nonprofit organisation that promotes press freedom worldwide, has listed 278 journalists killed across the world between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2021. Of these, the report notes, 226 murders either remain unsolved or see the perpetrators roaming free. These journalists, the CPJ says, were âkilled in a nexus of corruption, organised crime, extremist groups, and government retaliationâ.
Somalia remains the worst country for impunity in journalist killings, according to the Index reports, for the seventh year running. âIt is followed by Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan. Illustrating the sustained lack of accountability, seven of the countries on the list have appeared every year,â a CPJ press release said.
India is ranked 12th in the Index, the last country to be recorded, with 20 unsolved murders recorded. Indiaâs South Asian neighbours Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh too make to the list, all ranked worse than India.
The violence still continues, even in countries where some people have been convicted in cases related to journalistsâ murders â like Mexico, where there were convictions in the cases related to Javier Valdez CĂĄrdenas and Miroslava Breach Velduceaâs killings, the report said.
This yearâs Index, the CPJ notes, doesnât include the full scope of threats to media freedom. âFor example, Afghanistanâs spot on the Index did not change, yet its vibrant media landscape has been decimated since the Taliban took control of the country during the US withdrawal. As Afghanistanâs judicial system collapses, the prospect of justice for the 17 journalists killed in the last 10 years moves further out of reach,â the press release notes.
One journalist recently was killed by crushing under the car in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.
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