Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 20th Dec. UNESCO said on Tuesday that 2023 has been a deadly year for journalists who work in conflict zones, with killings almost doubled compared to the past three years, in a press release issued in New York.
The agency noted that the past three months have been the deadliest quarter for journalists in conflict zones since at least 2007, with 27 deaths.
In 2023, 65 journalists were killed in the line of duty, compared to 88 in 2022.
UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said this overall drop conceals a very alarming phenomenon: the sharp increase in the number killed in conflict zones.
It said that 38 journalists and others who work in media were killed in countries in conflict this year, compared to 28 in 2022 and 20 in 2021.
UNESCO stated that most of these conflict-related killings occurred in the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, with UNESCO have reported 19 killings in Palestine, 3 in Lebanon and 2 in Israel since 7 October.
Afghanistan, Cameroon, Syria and Ukraine also each saw at least two killings, it added.
UNESCO said that the figures do not include deaths of journalists and media workers in circumstances unrelated to their profession, which the agency said have been reported in significant numbers in 2023.
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