Five Pakistani journalists have been slain in the line of duty in 2022 according to statistics issued on Sunday by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
As the number of journalists slain or imprisoned increased in 2022, the International Federation of Journalists repeated its plea for decisive efforts to preserve journalists’ safety. As reported by the International Federation of Journalists, 47 journalists had been murdered the year before.
Hasnain Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ziaur Rehman Farooqi, Muhammad Younis, and Sadaf Naeem were the Pakistani journalists who were killed in 2022 and were listed on the IFJ list. It is pertinent to mention here that Arshad Sharif was assassinated after the data for the report was collected and hence his name is not on the list.
IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, stressed that the UN General Assembly’s voting on the IFJ Convention on the Safety and Liberty of Journalists has become critical. Â
He went on to say that the recent increase in the assassinations of journalists and other media workers is a significant reason for worry and serves as a wake-up call for governments throughout the world to take action in defense of journalism, which is one of the main foundations of democracy.
Failure to act would only empower those who attempt to restrict the free movement of information and weaken people’s capacity to hold their leaders accountable, including ensuring that individuals with influence and power do not obstruct open and equitable societies.
The IFJ list also indicates that state repression has raised its ugly head in 2022 from China to Belarus, and from Egypt to Hong Kong, Iran, Myanmar, Turkiye, and Russia in an attempt to suppress the media and crush democratic protests. Journalists were among the first captives of the crackdowns, with at least 375 journalists and media workers presently imprisoned, a record high since the International Federation of Journalists began releasing names of imprisoned journalists two years ago.
With 84 journalists imprisoned, China and its Hong Kong allies lead the list.
