As the year 2024 approaches the penultimate month, reports over the killing of journalists and other media employees from different parts of the globe continue to be pouring. Shockingly, most of the culprits in those homicides enjoy impunity thanks to police inaction, low political will and an elongated judicial process, precisely in southern countries like India. The bygone year witnessed the slaying of 140 media workers around the world followed by 116 victims in 2022, 79 in 2021, 92 in 2020, 75 in 2019, 117 in 2018, 99 in 2017, 156 in 2016, 135 in 2015, 138 in 2014, etc.

India recently reported the murder of another journalist to increase its tally to four till date this year. Dilip Saini (45), a correspondent to Asian News International from Fatehpur locality of Uttar Pradesh, was stabbed to death at Sadar Kotwali area on the night of October 30. The police already arrested five individuals suspecting their role in the murder. Different organisations representing media workers have condemned the incident and demanded adequate compensation to the bereaved family. The Geneva-based global media safety and rights body Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) also condemned the killing with strong words.

PEC president Blaise Lempen, while revealing that Dilip became the 118th journalist to be killed globally since 1 January, demanded a transparent investigation into the murder and punish the perpetrators under the law. Earlier, on the eve of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, an UN-recognized global day observed annually on 2 November, the PEC deplored that the record in the fight against impunity remains gloomy particularly this year as the perpetrators of violence and murders committed against journalists over the past days have enjoyed total impunity.

“Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on 7 October 2023, more than 150 journalists have been killed in Palestine and Lebanon as a result of Israeli reprisals for attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah. Palestinian media facilities and equipment were systematically destroyed. No one responsible at any level, military or civilian, has been prosecuted”, said Lempen, adding that the matter has been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in particular following the murder of a Reuter employee in southern Lebanon, but Israel does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction.

Last May, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested international arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for several Hamas leaders, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel since the start of hostilities unleashed by the Palestinian Islamist movement on 7 October. But Israel reacted by claiming in September that the ICC lacked jurisdiction over the case.

According to the Israeli government, the prosecutor did not respect the statutes of the Court and the principle of complementarity, in that he did not allow Israel to exercise its right to investigate the accusations made by the prosecutor before the latter submitted his request to the judges. In the absence of ICC proceedings, independent investigations must be carried out.

The Jerusalem authorities have banned foreign journalists from travelling to Gaza, in a bid to prevent credible testimony. Israeli journalists have been allowed in, but only under the supervision of the Israeli army. The PEC strongly condemns these practices. This widespread impunity is very worrying, as it sends out the wrong signal. Elsewhere in the world, impunity remains the rule, as in Mexico, Pakistan and Russia.

PEC once again urges the Israeli army to respect international humanitarian law, and in particular the distinction between civilians and combatants. Admittedly, this distinction is difficult to observe when combatants are hiding among civilians, commented Lempen, adding that the media, clearly identified as such, are seemingly not taking part in the fighting and hence their freedom to inform must be respected, even if they belong to the opposing camp.

In the south & southeast Asian region, Pakistan witnessed the murder of 10 media workers this year namely Jam Saghir Ahmed Lar (Daily Khabrain, Punjab, killed on 14 March), Tahira Nosheen Rana (local Urdu newspaper, Punjab, 22 April), Muhammad Siddiq Mengel (Khuzdar Press Club, Balochistan, 3 May), Mehar Ashfaq Siyal (Daily Khabrain, Punjab, 15 May), Kamran Dawar (YouTube/Facebbok, North Waziristan, 21 May), Nasrullah Gadani (Awami Aghaz, Sindh, 24 May), Khalil Jibran (Khyber News, Pakhtunkhwa, 19 June), Hasan Zaib (Aaj News, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 14 July), Muhammad Bachal Ghunio (Awaz TV, Sindh, 26 August) and Nisar Lehri (Masting Press Club, Balochistan, 4 September).

Bangladesh lost 7 journalists namely Hasan Mehedi (Dhaka Times, 18 July), Shakil Hossain (Bhorer Awaj, Dhaka, 18 July), Abu Taher Md Turab (Naya Diganta, Sylhet, 18 July), Tahir Zaman Priyo (Photo-reporter, Dhaka, 19 July), Pradip Kumar Bhowmik (Khabor Patra, Sirajganj, 4 August), Tanjil Jahan Islam Tamim (Deepto TV, Dhaka, 10 October) and Swapan Kumar Bhadra (Sainik Swajan, Mymensingh, 12 October) to assailants. India earlier recorded three journo-murder victims namely Ashutosh Srivastava (Sudarshan News, Uttar Pradesh, 13 May), Shivshankar Jha (Hindi media outlets, Bihar, 25 June) and Salman Ali Khan (Rajgarh TV, Madhya Pradesh, 17 September).

The atrocious military rulers of Myanmar (Burma/ Brahmadesh) perpetrated the untimely deaths of Ko Myat Thu Tun (Democratic Voice of Burma, Mrauk-U, 31 January), Htet Myat Thu (Voice of Thanbyuzayat, Mon State, 21 August) and Win Htut Oo (Democratic Voice of Burma, Mon State, 21 August). On the other hand, Indonesia lost Sempurna Pasaribu (Tribrata TV, Sumatra, 27 June) and Philippines recorded the killing of Maria Vilma Rodriguez (eMedia Production Network, Mindanao, 22 , October) during the last ten months.