Bangladesh among most dangerous countries for journalists: RSF
Palestine tops the list of the nine countries most dangerous for journalists this year. The country is followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and Mexico respectively. So far 54 journalists have been killed this year while on professional duty. One-third of them were killed by the Israeli forces. Some five journalists have been killed in Bangladesh this year.
This came up in a report published by the Reporters without Borders (RSF) on Thursday.
Quoting the report, the Israeli army killed 18 journalists as they were working this year -- 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon -- around a third of the total worldwide of 54.
The RSF report covers data up to 1 December.
List of countries most dangerous for journalists
According to the RSF report, Gaza tops the list of the most dangerous places for journalists. After Gaza, the deadliest places for journalists in 2024 were Pakistan with seven deaths, followed by Bangladesh and Mexico with five each.
Besides, as many as 55 journalists are currently being held hostage, including two abducted in 2024. Nearly half -- 25 in total -- are in the hands of the Islamic State group.
In addition, 95 journalists are reported missing, including four new cases reported in 2024.
The three countries with the highest numbers of detained journalists are China (124, including 11 in Hong Kong), Myanmar (61), and Israel (41).
The RSF report says, "Palestine is the most dangerous country for journalists, recording a higher death toll than any other country over the past five years."
It further states, in total "more than 145" journalists had been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the start of the war there in October 2023, with 35 of them working at the time of their deaths.
RSF described the number of killings as "an unprecedented massacre".