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2016 another deadly year for journalists

December 30, 2016

The number of journalists that fell victim to targeted killings declined modestly from 2015. But two deadly airplane crashes pumped-up the overall death toll.

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Beerdigung von Journalist Pavel Sheremet
Image: picture-alliance/O. Khomenko/Pacific Press

It was another deadly year for journalists in certain parts of the world - 93 were killed in the course of their work, and another 29 died in a pair of airplane crashes, according to an annual report released on Friday by the International Federation of Journalists.

Ukraine Journalist Pawel Scheremt bei Explosion getötet
Ukrainian journalist Pawel Scheremet (pictured above) was killed in July when a bomb tore through his car in central Kiev.Image: Reuters/V. Ogirenko

The IFJ reported that 112 journalists were killed in targeted attacks in 2015. The modest decline notwithstanding, no one was celebrating.

"Any decrease in violence against journalist and media personnel is always welcome but these figures... leave little room for comfort and reinforce hopes for the end of the security crisis in the media sector," IFJ president Philippe Leruth said in a statement.

"There cannot be impunity for these crimes," he added.

More than 60 of the targeted killings occurred in six countries: Iraq (15), Afghanistan (13), Mexico (11), Yemen (8), Syria (6), India (5) and Pakistan (5) - for a total of 63.

The two deadly plane crashes claimed the lives of 20 Brazilian journalists and nine Russian media staff bound for Syria.

The statistics "give little room for comfort nor ground for hope to see the end of the current media safety crisis," Leruth said.

bik/kms (AP, AFP)