Geneva, July 11 (V7N) - The number of journalists killed has seen a dramatic rise in the first six months of 2025, with 86 media workers losing their lives across 26 countries. This marks an increase of more than 16% compared to last year, according to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC). The ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip has been a key factor, with at least 31 Palestinian journalists killed during the period, making up over a third of the total deaths.

Gaza Crisis: A Target for Journalists

"The Israeli government is directly responsible for this tragedy, which targets journalists covering the situation in Gaza. Israeli soldiers involved in these war crimes must be identified and held accountable," said PEC President Blaise Lempen. "This is a massacre of unprecedented scale, with nearly 200 Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023," he added, stressing that “the fighting must absolutely stop.”

Other Fatalities Worldwide

Journalists in Sudan, Mexico, Ukraine, Russia, and Iran also faced deadly risks. Hostilities in Sudan resulted in six journalists killed since January, while six journalists were murdered in Mexico—one per month. The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has claimed six lives, including five in Ukrainian regions under Russian control. In Tehran, four media employees died during Israeli bombardments in Iran in June.

In India, four journalists have been killed since January, and three in Pakistan. Other countries like Colombia, Honduras, Iraq, the United States, Peru, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen each reported two fatalities. Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Lebanon, Nepal, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Zimbabwe each recorded one journalist death.

Regional Breakdown of Fatalities

By region, the Middle East has been the deadliest, with 43 victims, followed by Latin America with 16, Africa with 10, Europe with 6, and North America with 2. Last year, a record 179 media workers were killed, including 80 in Gaza, with 74 deaths in the first half of the year alone.

PEC's South & Southeast Asia representative, Nava Thakuria, reported the deaths of Mukesh Chandrakar, Raghavendra Vajpayee, Sahadev Dey, and Dharmendra Singh Chauhan in India during the first half of 2025. In Pakistan, Allah Dino Shar, Abdul Latif Baloch, and Syed Mohammed Shah were killed, while Nepal saw the murder of journalist Suresh Rajak. However, Bangladesh and Myanmar have, so far, avoided any journalist murders this year.

Calls for Accountability and Justice

PEC strongly condemns all these attacks and calls for thorough investigations into the crimes. "We hope that the second half of 2025 will be calmer for journalists worldwide," said the organization in a statement.

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