Syria, which has topped the list for four years, was once again the most dangerous country for media workers with 10 journalists killed there in 2015. “From the brutal attack on Charlie Hebdo at the start of the year to the murder of citizen journalists in Syria and beyond its borders, ISIS and associated groups have made it clear that they see the killing of journalists as a means of spreading their message, spreading fear and seeking to control the news from within Syria,” said INSI chair Richard Sambrook. “And national borders are no barrier to where they will take their violence.” France, Iraq, the Philippines, South Sudan and Yemen were the next most dangerous countries with seven killings each. The report found that more than half of the journalists died during peacetime, and their murderers enjoyed near total impunity. INSI identified only 10 cases in which suspects in the killing of journalists were identified or any arrests made. “Although the numbers remain shocking, and impunity for the killers of journalists remains the norm, the international community is taking the issue more seriously than ever,” Sambrook said.
- Read the full Killing The Messenger report
- See our infographic highlighting the shocking numbers
- Listen to a podcast from INSI's former director Rodney Pinder
- Read what it’s like to be a local journalist reporting from Brazil
- Follow the discussion on our Twitter and Facebook pages using #KTM2015
