68 journalists killed in 2024, majority in conflict zones: UNICEF

The year 2024 has been particularly challenging for journalists worldwide, with over 60 journalists losing their lives in the line of duty, the majority of them in conflict zones.

According to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 68 journalists and media workers died this year while carrying out their duties.

Of these, 42 deaths occurred in conflict areas, marking the highest toll in a decade.

This year, 18 journalists were martyred during the Israeli war on Palestine, while others were killed in conflict zones in Syria, Chad, Ukraine, Lebanon, Somalia, and various other regions affected by violence.

The report further reveals that in countries without active conflicts, the number of journalist deaths decreased compared to the previous two years.

Although the number of journalist killings dropped from the 74 reported in 2023 and 88 in 2022, UNESCO is still “verifying several cases,” according to a UNICEF statement.

The report also highlighted that this year saw the lowest number of journalist deaths outside conflict zones in the past 16 years, with only 26 such fatalities recorded.

Earlier, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that 104 journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2024. The majority of these fatalities were in the Middle East (66), followed by the Asia-Pacific region (20), Africa (8), the Americas (6), and Europe (4).

In addition, 520 journalists were imprisoned worldwide, with the largest number detained in China (135), followed by Israel, which detained 59 Palestinian journalists, and Myanmar, which apprehended 44.