At least 70 journalists and other media employees were killed in 19 countries in 1999 because of their work or while on duty, according to research by the World Association of Newspapers. The toll marked a dramatic increase after years of decline in deaths and was the highest since 1994, when 73 were killed, WAN […]
At least 70 journalists and other media employees were killed in 19 countries in 1999 because of their work or while on duty, according to research by the World Association of Newspapers.
The toll marked a dramatic increase after years of decline in deaths and was the highest since 1994, when 73 were killed, WAN said. Fifty-one were killed in 1995, 32 in 1996, 26 in 1997 and 28 in 1998.
“Wars were responsible for a large number of deaths last year,” said Timothy Balding, Director General of the Paris-based WAN. “But journalists in many parts of the world were also murdered for their reporting and investigations.”
The largest number of deaths occurred in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, where 22 media workers died, 18 of them in NATO bombardments — 15 at the Yugoslavian state television building, and three in the Chinese Embassy.
Ten journalists died in the Sierra Leone conflict. Journalists were also killed in Colombia (6), Nigeria (5), Sri Lanka (5), India (4), Russia (4), Burma (2), East Timor (2), Angola (1), Argentina (1), Great Britain (1), Indonesia (1), Ivory Coast (1), Lebanon (1), Pakistan (1), Peru (1), Tajikistan (1) and Turkey (1).
The deaths occurred right up to the last day of the year, when Anthony Mariyanayagam, a journalist for the state-run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, was shot by suspected Tamil Tiger guerrillas while covering a church ceremony.
Details of the cases are available on the WAN web site at www.wan-press.org.
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 17,000 newspapers; its membership includes 63 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 93 countries, 17 news agencies and seven regional and world-wide press groups.
