Reporters Without Borders: 57 journalists killed in 2022, 533 media workers imprisoned

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published its annual report about cases of violence and abuse against journalists all over the world on its official website.

RSF calculated that the number of murdered journalists had risen to 57 in 2022. The most dangerous countries in the world for reporters are Mexico (11 journalists killed), Ukraine (8), Haiti (6), Brazil (3), Syria (3), and Yemen (3).

“The war in Ukraine, which broke out on 24 February, is one of the causes of this increase. The number of journalists killed in war zones now represents more than 35% of the overall number killed (against 32% last year). The war in Ukraine has also contributed to a doubling of the number of journalists killed outside of their home countries. Of the eight journalists killed since the start of the war in Ukraine, five have been foreign reporters,” the organisation notes.

The report mentions the death of Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin who “was deliberately shot by Russian soldiers on 13 March” as well as Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, a French video reporter for BFM TV, who was killed in shelling.

Moreover, the number of murdered female journalists also tripled in the past 2 years. In 2022, it accounted for more than 12% of the total deaths. At the same time, the report fails to mention the death of Oksana Baulina, The Insider correspondent, who was killed in Kyiv shelling when on work duty.

According to RSF data, 432 professional reporters, 18 media workers, and 83 non-professional journalists are currently placed in detention. It is noted that almost 45% of them are in custody in Asia, while more than 30% in Maghreb and the Middle East.

“ Russia has also seen a major crackdown since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Almost all independent media there were banned, blocked and/or declared “foreign agents” in the course of the year. Most of the journalists who stayed behind have been forced to work underground, as they could face as much as 15 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the Russian army,” the report reads.

Currently, 18 reporters are imprisoned in Russia, including “8 Ukrainian journalists who were arrested in Crimea, which was annexed in 2014 and is now subject to Russian law”.

The report also mentions the case of Ivan Safronov, who was sentenced to 22 years in high-security prison for “high treason”. RSF describes Safronov as a “talented reporter crushed by Russia’s judicial machine”.

“This grossly unjust and vindictive jail sentence is the heaviest recorded by RSF in 2022,” the report adds.

Reporters Without Borders also revealed that 49 journalists are missing, while 65 more are held hostage.

This year, RSF’s annual Press Freedom Award was given to Ukrainian photo reporters Mstyslav Tchernov and Yevhen Maloletka. Jailed Iranian journalist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi and Morocco’s investigative journalist Omar Radi are among other laureates.