2012 - DEADLIEST YEAR FOR JOURNALISTS

According to the 2012 Roundup in Numbers report of the Reporters without Borders, 88 journalists and 47 citizen-journalists killed. The 2012 was the deadliest year for journalists since Reporters Without Borders began producing its annual roundup in 1995. Civil - Center for Freedom and its organizational unit Civil Media express grave concerns about the deteriorating situation of the journalist profession worldwide and in the country.

The 2012 Roundup in Numbers report of the Reporters without Borders reveals striking information. According to the report, 88 journalists and 47 citizen-journalists killed. The 2012 was the deadliest year for journalists since Reporters Without Borders began producing its annual roundup in 1995. The number of journalists killed (88) is a rise of 33% in comparison to 2011 (67 journalists killed). Further, 879 journalists were arrested, 1993 journalists were threatened or physically attacked, 38 journalists were kidnapped, 73 journalists fled their country, 6 media assistants were killed, 144 bloggers and netizens were arrested, 193 journalists are in prison as of December 18, 2012.

The worst-hit regions were the Middle East and Northern Africa (with 26 killed), Asia (24 killed) and sub-Saharan Africa (21 killed). Only the western hemisphere registered a fall in the number of journalists killed. The number of journalists murdered or killed was 67 in 2011, 58 in 2010 and 75 in 2009. The previous record was in 2007, when 87 were killed. The 88 journalists killed in 2012 lost their lives while covering wars or bombings, or were murdered by groups linked to organized crime (including drug trafficking), by Islamist militias or on the orders of corrupt officials.

“The reason for the unprecedented number of journalists killed in 2012 is mainly the war in Syria, the chaos in Somalia and Taliban violence in Pakistan,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general

Christophe Deloire is quoted in the report. “The impunity enjoyed by those responsible for violations of human rights, in particular, the right to freedom of information, encourages the continuation of these violations.”

The Reporters without Borders reports that the victims were news providers of all kinds. Citizen-journalists and netizens have been hit hard – 47 killed in 2012 compared with 5 in 2011 – especially in Syria. These men and women act as reporters, photographers and video-journalists, documenting their day-to-day lives and the government’s crackdown on its opponents. Without their activities, the Syrian regime would be able to impose a complete news blackout on certain regions and continue massacring in secret.

Civil - Center for Freedom and its organizational unit Civil Media express grave concerns about the deteriorating situation of the journalist profession worldwide and in the country. Civil strongly condemns all forms of violence and pressure against freedom of media and journalists.

In the case of the Republic of Macedonia, media are continuously under political pressure, mainly from the government, which resulted in the fall of Macedonia to the 116^th place on the ranking list of the Reporters without Borders (out of 179 countries). Civil has warned on the media situation in a number of occasions and appealed to the government and political parties to take their hands off media and provide democracy and respect for human rights and freedoms, particularly in the area of freedom of speech.

NUMBERS OF DEATH AND VIOLENCE

88 journalists killed

879 journalists arrested

1993 journalists threatened or physically attacked

38 journalists kidnapped

73 journalists fled their country

6 media assistants killed

47 netizens and citizen-journalists killed

144 bloggers and netizens arrested

193 journalists in prison