At least 140 journalists murdered in 2023, 81 of them in Gaza

PFor the CIS, this is an annual increase of more than 20% compared to 2022, when 116 journalists were killed.

According to data from the non-governmental organization, the Gaza Strip has been the region with the most murders of media professionals in the world, with 81 deaths since the beginning of the offensive between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas, on October 7th. , until December 31st.

The report warns that this is the highest number of media victims during a conflict in such a short time, with almost one journalist killed per day in the last three months of 2023.

CIS President Blaise Lempen said it was difficult to verify whether these journalists, many of them Palestinians who worked for local and foreign media outlets, were intentionally targeted due to their profession or whether they were killed in Israeli attacks.

In this regard, the organization urged the United Nations to launch an independent investigation to find out the exact circumstances under which the journalists were killed in Gaza, as “those responsible for these crimes must be brought to justice as quickly as possible.”

In some regions of Latin America, the situation has not improved either, such as Mexico, which was the second deadliest place in the world for journalists in 2023, with a total of nine reporters killed. With five murders, Guatemala was the third country in the world with the most victims of this scourge.

Another country highlighted in the CEI 2023 report was Ukraine, where the war left a total of four journalists dead, the same number recorded in Israel, following attacks by the Islamist movement Hamas, on October 7th.

By regions, the Middle East ranks first with 64% of deaths registered in 2023, two thirds of the victims, followed by Latin America with 20, Asia with 12, Africa with 11, Europe with four and North America with three.

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