In 2024, 54 journalists died in the course of their professional duties, and another 550 are in prison.
This is stated in the annual report of the organization "Reporters Without Borders".
The authors of the report say that in 2024, the number of attacks on journalists has increased alarmingly, especially in conflict zones. A total of 31 out of 54 journalists were killed specifically in conflict zones, i.e. 57.4% of the total number — this is the highest value since 2020.
The Gaza Strip was singled out as the most dangerous region in the world, where 30% of all journalists died this year — 16 people. Reporters Without Borders said the journalists were killed by the Israeli military. In almost all cases, Israel claims that the killings of journalists were unintentional. Journalists also died in Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine.
The most dangerous country for journalists is Palestine. Over the past five years, more journalists have been killed there than in any other country. According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 145 journalists have been killed in Palestine since October 2023, and at least 35 of them have been killed in the line of duty.
The second most dangerous region for journalists is Asian countries. Seven journalists were killed in Pakistan and another five in Bangladesh during large-scale anti-government protests.
"Journalists donʼt die — they are killed; they are not in prison — the regimes imprison them; they do not disappear — they are stolen. These crimes, often organized by governments and armed groups, violate international law and all too often go unpunished," says the RSF Director General Thibaut Brutten.
The report also records a 7.2% increase in the number of detained journalists this year. This is largely related to the arrests of journalists in Russia (+8 people) and Israel (+17 people). The most journalists are imprisoned in China (124 people, including 11 in Hong Kong), Myanmar (61), Israel (41) and Belarus (40).
55 journalists remain hostages, most of them in Syria, kidnapped by the terrorist "Islamic State", so it is extremely difficult to get information about their fate. The collapse of Bashar al-Assadʼs regime in Syria has opened a window of hope, reports Reporters Without Borders. Yemen became the only country to take two new hostages in 2024.
Nearly 100 journalists are still missing in 34 countries around the world — more than a quarter of those journalists have disappeared in the past 10 years. Mexico is the country with the largest number of missing journalists.
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