Press group decries impunity in journalists' murders
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 2 June 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Press group decries impunity in journalists' murders, 2 June 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e142afbc.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 02, 2011
Mourners carry the coffin of journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, who was killed in Pakistan this week. The country was listed by the Committee to Protect Journalists as one of the worst offenders in its 2011 Impunity Index
The Committee to Protect Journalists has said in a new report that entrenched corruption in law enforcement worldwide has thwarted justice in the killings of reporters.
In its 2011 Impunity Index, the committee spotlights countries where journalists are slain and killers go free.
The reports says that "local journalists are the victims in the vast majority of unsolved cases worldwide", and that "only about 6 percent of unsolved cases on the index involve international journalists slain while working abroad."
According to the committee, "prior threats against a journalist are powerful indicators of violence to come" adding that "more than 40 percent" of the victims in its index had received threats before being killed.
The committee also pointed out that "impunity is severe across South Asia" with six of the region's nations – Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India – included on the 2011 index.
Other countries with some of the largest numbers of journalists slain per capita include Iraq, Somalia, the Philippines, Colombia. Mexico, Russia, and Brazil.
with agency reports
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
