128 journalists killed worldwide in 2014: Report

GENEVA – Anadolu Agency

At least 128 journalists have been killed around the world in 2014, including two in Turkey, according to the annual Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) report.

The PEC report cited Kadri Bağdu, a 46-year-old delivery man for dailies Özgür Gündem and Azadiya Welat, who was shot dead on Oct. 14 while working in the southern province of Adana; and Serena Shim, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen of Lebanese origin, who was killed in a car accident on Oct. 19 while returning to her hotel in the town of Suruç in Şanlıurfa province, as the two journalists who were killed in Turkey in 2014.

While Gaza led the list with 16 journalists killed during the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip last summer, Syria followed with 13 deaths and Pakistan with 12 casualties.

Iraq came in fourth place with 10 journalists killed, many of whom lost their lives following a surge of attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levent (ISIL). Ukraine came in fifth place, with nine journalists killed, including four Russians, according to the report.

The Middle East was the most violent in 2014, with 46 journalists killed, followed by Asia with 31, Latin America with 27, Sub-Saharan Africa with 14, and Europe with 10.

Over the past five years, 614 journalists were killed, which is an average of 123 annually, or 2.4 per week, the report said.

The most dangerous five countries for journalists in the past five years were Syria, Pakistan, Mexico, Iraq and Somalia.

Press Emblem Campaign Secretary-General Blaise Lempen said many media outlets had stopped sending journalists to conflict zones because of the extreme risks involved, adding that the lower coverage of conflicts is detrimental to finding solutions and financing humanitarian aid.