54 Journalists Killed Worldwide in 2024, says RSF
Five Journalists Remain Detained in India
December 13, 2024
In 2024, at least 54 journalists worldwide lost their lives either on the job or because of their reporting, according to the year-end roundup by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which shows that over half of these deaths occurred in conflict zones, with Gaza identified as the most lethal region globally. The report also mentions two of the five journalists currently detained in India.
Gaza has been identified by the RSF as the most perilous location, with many journalists targeted directly by Israeli forces. Since October 2023, over 145 journalists have been killed in this region.
In 2024, the fatalities included 51 professional journalists, one non-professional and two media workers, according to the roundup. Palestine and Pakistan recorded the highest number of deaths, with 16 and seven journalists killed respectively. Mexico and Bangladesh each reported five fatalities, followed by Sudan with four, Myanmar with three, and Colombia, Ukraine and Lebanon each with two.
Journalism remains threatened even outside of war zones. In countries like Pakistan and Mexico, journalists face severe risks from gangs and armed factions, ranking these nations among the highest for journalist deaths over the past five years. The situation is similar in Bangladesh, where journalists covering protests were systematically targeted by security forces, RSF said.
“Journalists do not die; they are killed,” stressed RSF, an international non-profit organisation that advocates for press freedom and the protection of journalists around the world. The group argues against passive language that diminishes the agency behind these attacks.
In addition to the violence, RSF’s roundup points out the increasing issue of imprisonments. Currently, 550 journalists are imprisoned worldwide—a 7% increase from the previous year. Countries like Israel have become notorious not only for the dangers posed to journalists in conflict zones but also for being among the top jailers of journalists.
The RSF roundup included a mention of India, which ranked 159 out of 180 countries, with higher numbers indicating poorer conditions for press freedom, according to the annual report released earlier this year.
As 2024 ends, five journalists remain in detention in India, according to RSF’s “Barometer”: Abdul Aala Fazili from The Kashmir Walla, Irfan Mehraj from Wande Magazine, Mahesh Langa from The Hindu, Majid Hyderi, a freelance journalist also known as Jimmy and Rupesh Kumar Singh from Janchowk.
Regarding Aasif Sultan, the roundup states, “A symbol of the Indian government’s relentless legal attacks on independent journalists in Jammu and Kashmir, Aasif Sultan, a journalist for the monthly Kashmir Narrator, spent nearly six years in prison. Detained under the UAPA anti-terrorism law and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, and briefly freed on February 28, he was ultimately released on bail by a special court in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The RSF’s annual report criticised the concentrated media ownership and political alignment in India.
