Sixty-six journalists were killed this year according to Reporters Without Borders. More than 1000 were arrested. Syria, Egypt and Libya are among the most dangerous countries for journalists.

Pakistan is the single most deadly country for journalists for the second year running, with ten deaths, most of them murders. China, Iran and Eritrea continue to be the world’s biggest prisons for the media.

Almost 2000 journalists were attacked or threatened and almost 500 media organisations censored. Seventy-three journalists fled their countries and almost as many were kidnapped.

The revolutions in North Africa contributed to 16 percent more journalists being killed than in previous years.
The campaign group for press freedom called it a tumultuous year: “Street protests in other countries such as Greece, Belarus, Chili and the United States led to a drastic increase in the number of arrests: from 535 in 2010 to 1044 in 2011''.

(nc)

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