9 most dangerous countries for journalists

Many journalists put their lives at risk to report on a civil war or natural disaster. Some countries of the world are recognized by the public as dangerous to the life and well-being of journalists.

According to data provided by CNN, the following countries pose the greatest threat to correspondents:

9. Philippines

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported one murder of a correspondent in the Philippines between January and July 2017. Joaquin Briones died on March 13, 2017 as a result of an attack by unknown assailants who shot him to death in the small town of Milagros, Masbate Island. The case has yet to be solved, and investigations are likely to rule out the possibility that the accident was the result of a robbery.

It is known that the deceased was threatened many times, as he was involved in the investigation of such sensitive issues as drug trafficking and illegal gambling. The killings of journalists in the Philippines led the Presidential Media Safety Task Force to target their protection. In 2015, 7 correspondents were killed in the country.

8. South Sudan

The only representative of the African continent in the list of the most dangerous countries is South Sudan. The current civil strife in the country puts the safety of local journalists at great risk. Several deaths have already been reported. In 2015, 7 reporters were killed in the country. The South Sudanese government has been directly linked to some of these killings after it was revealed that President Salva Kiir had threatened local journalists in 2015.

7. Honduras

The second Latin American country on this list is Honduras. In the first few months of 2017, only one journalist was killed in the country - Igor Abisai Padilla Chavez. A prominent TV reporter was shot dead on January 17, 2017 by four armed attackers in Suyapa City. Honduras is notorious for crimes against journalists. In August 2014, another correspondent, Neri Francisco Soto, died outside his home. Journalists are forced to work in fear, especially those investigating sensitive topics such as corruption or drug trafficking. In 2015, 7 correspondents were killed in Honduras.

6. Yemen

Yemen is currently in a devastating civil war. It all started with the armed conflict between the government forces of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in January 2015. The civil war in Yemen led to the death of more than 16 thousand people, most of whom were civilians. Also, between January and July 2017, two deaths of journalists were confirmed. The killed were Yemeni TV correspondent Wael al-Absi and Takieddin al-Khudhaifi. Both died on May 26, 2017 in the city of Taiz, Yemen. However, in 2016, 6 journalists were killed in the country, and in 2015 - 8.

5. France

The only representative of Europe on this list is France, recognized as the most dangerous country for reporters on the entire continent. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 9 correspondents have been killed in the country since 1992, all in the same accident in 2015. On January 7, 2015, two armed men broke into the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine, a Parisian satirical weekly, and opened fire on the editorial staff. As a result, 12 people were killed, 9 of whom were journalists.

4. Mexico

Mexico supplements the list of the most dangerous countries. Despite the fact that the ongoing war in the country does not receive sufficient publicity, it is rated as the second largest military conflict in the number of deaths after the civil war in Syria. In 2006 alone, about 23 thousand people died. Journalists are held hostage, targeted by drug lords and government officials. In 2017, there were 4 deaths of reporters in Mexico. One of these occurred on 15 May 2017, when Javier Valdez Cardenas, a correspondent and co-founder of the weekly Riodoce, was shot and killed. In 2015, 8 journalists were killed in Mexico.

3. India

The South Asian state is notorious for the frequent arrests of journalists, especially those who criticize the government. In addition to this, the country has also gained a reputation as a deadly threat to correspondents. Despite the fact that no journalists were killed in India in 2017, the minutes of the Committee to Protect Journalists show that about 40 correspondents have been killed in India since 1992, while in 1997 7 journalists were killed. The worst was 2015: 9 reporters killed in the country.

2. Syria

The civil war in Syria has become the largest global conflict in recent years. Statistics show that over 5,000 civilians were killed between January and July 2017. This conflict has made Syria one of the most dangerous places for correspondents. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, three reporters have died in Syria during the first few months of this year.

The last to be killed was Khalid al-Khatib, the Arab correspondent. He was killed on July 30, 2017, near the city of Homs, during a rocket attack by the Islamic State army. The same attack resulted in heavy casualties among the Syrian soldiers. In 2015, 10 journalists were killed in Syria.

1. Iraq

On July 7, 2017, Sudad Faris was fatally wounded by an Islamic State sniper during a military operation in Imam Gharbi, a small town located a few kilometers from the city of Mosul in Iraq. Sudad Faris worked as a cameraman for the Iraqi television station Salaheddin TV. Another journalist, Harb Hazza al-Dulaimi, was killed in the same operation. The two incidents increased the number of correspondents killed in Iraq to six in 2017.

These killings confirm the reputation that Iraq has built over the past few years as the most dangerous country for journalists. The victims of merciless crimes are those journalists who risk everything to cover the ongoing war against the Islamic State in the media. The number of journalists killed peaked in 2006, when 32 reporters were killed during the US invasion of Iraq. In 2015, 11 journalists were killed in Iraq.

Committee to Protect Journalists

It is a non-profit organization created to protect the rights and freedoms of journalists around the world. For over three decades, the Committee has worked to keep reporters safe and secure.