GENEVA: Fifty-nine journalists have been killed around the world so far this year, in an alarming rise from 2008 that has become a “bloodbath” of the media, a watchdog said on Thursday.
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said 53 journalists were killed in the first six months, up from 45 in the first half of last year, but highlighted another six killings in July, including Russian journalist and rights activist Natalya Estemirova who was murdered on July 15.
Mexico leads the media blackspots with seven journalists being killed this year, according to the PEC.
It said there were six journalists killed in Pakistan, five each in Iraq, the Philippines, Russia and Somalia, four in Gaza and Honduras, three in Colombia, two each in Afghanistan, Guatemala, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Venezuela and one in India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, and Madagascar.
The PEC called upon all UN states, international organisations and NGOs to take action “to stop this bloodbath against journalists”.
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Sunday, July 26, 2009
Another Pakistani journalist's house attacked
New York, July 13, 2009--The house of a second Pakistani journalist working in the border area with Afghanistan was looted and burned on Saturday, according to the Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ). The attack was similar to one carried out by Taliban militants on Thursday in the same district, which has been an area of conflict since the government launched an offensive in April.
According to the KhUJ and the English-language daily The News, the home of Behroz Khan, in Balo Khan village in Buner in the North West Frontier Province, had been looted and ransacked a few times in recent months before it was burned over the weekend. Khan is a senior journalist who works for Geo TV and has assisted CPJ investigations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the past.
"The targeting of homes and families of journalists who dare to report professionally is a frightening trend that must be stopped," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "All sides in the conflict in Pakistan must respect the role of journalists in covering the news."
The News reported that Khan had left the area before the most recent attack and CPJ has not been able to contact him. The paper said Buner's district coordination officer and district police officer were not available to comment.
A bomb destroyed the home of Voice of America correspondent Rahman Bunairee in Buner district on Thursday in what was believed to be a retaliatory attack by the Taliban.
The government said on Wednesday that it was winding down its military operations against Taliban militants in Buner and the adjoining Swat Valley. The offensive, launched in April, has killed about 1,600 combatants, according to the government.
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According to the KhUJ and the English-language daily The News, the home of Behroz Khan, in Balo Khan village in Buner in the North West Frontier Province, had been looted and ransacked a few times in recent months before it was burned over the weekend. Khan is a senior journalist who works for Geo TV and has assisted CPJ investigations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the past.
"The targeting of homes and families of journalists who dare to report professionally is a frightening trend that must be stopped," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "All sides in the conflict in Pakistan must respect the role of journalists in covering the news."
The News reported that Khan had left the area before the most recent attack and CPJ has not been able to contact him. The paper said Buner's district coordination officer and district police officer were not available to comment.
A bomb destroyed the home of Voice of America correspondent Rahman Bunairee in Buner district on Thursday in what was believed to be a retaliatory attack by the Taliban.
The government said on Wednesday that it was winding down its military operations against Taliban militants in Buner and the adjoining Swat Valley. The offensive, launched in April, has killed about 1,600 combatants, according to the government.
Click here to view source
Pakistani reporter's home destroyed
New York, July 10, 2009--The home of Voice of America (VOA) correspondent Rahman Bunairee in Buner district was leveled by a bomb on Thursday in what was believed to be a retaliatory attack by the Taliban, news reports said.
Citing Bunairee's account, the U.S. government-funded broadcaster reported that "a few dozen militants came to his home in Buner district Wednesday night and told his father that because his son was speaking against militants, they had been ordered to blow up his home." The English-language Daily Times reported that Bunairee's family--including two young children--then vacated the house.
"Despite the government's claims of having secured the area, Pakistani journalists remain prime targets," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "The attack on the home of Rahman Bunairee is one more indicator of the dangers these journalists--and their families--face as they continue to report from this high-conflict area."
CPJ could not reach Bunairee by telephone or e-mail today, but news reports and accounts from VOA colleagues have filled in many details. Bunairee told colleagues that he and his family have relocated to a safe place. He said the attack may have come in retaliation for a recent report that said militants were still patrolling the streets in several villages in Buner--a district in the volatile North West Frontier Province--despite government claims that the Taliban have been largely eliminated in the area, the VOA said.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the government said that its military operations against Taliban militants were drawing to a close in Buner and the adjoining Swat Valley. It said Pakistani forces had killed about 1,600 combatants since it launched its offensive in April. A few days earlier, the government had encouraged civilians who had fled the fighting to begin returning to the area.
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Citing Bunairee's account, the U.S. government-funded broadcaster reported that "a few dozen militants came to his home in Buner district Wednesday night and told his father that because his son was speaking against militants, they had been ordered to blow up his home." The English-language Daily Times reported that Bunairee's family--including two young children--then vacated the house.
"Despite the government's claims of having secured the area, Pakistani journalists remain prime targets," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "The attack on the home of Rahman Bunairee is one more indicator of the dangers these journalists--and their families--face as they continue to report from this high-conflict area."
CPJ could not reach Bunairee by telephone or e-mail today, but news reports and accounts from VOA colleagues have filled in many details. Bunairee told colleagues that he and his family have relocated to a safe place. He said the attack may have come in retaliation for a recent report that said militants were still patrolling the streets in several villages in Buner--a district in the volatile North West Frontier Province--despite government claims that the Taliban have been largely eliminated in the area, the VOA said.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the government said that its military operations against Taliban militants were drawing to a close in Buner and the adjoining Swat Valley. It said Pakistani forces had killed about 1,600 combatants since it launched its offensive in April. A few days earlier, the government had encouraged civilians who had fled the fighting to begin returning to the area.
Click here to view source
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