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YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. More than 100 reporters have been killed since the beginning of 2018 in the world, Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said in a press release.
The Geneva-based NGO demands independent and international investigations to identify the perpetrators of these crimes and prosecute them.
"The fight against impunity is at the core of the combat against violations of human rights. National mechanisms are not enough. International mechanisms of inquiry are needed", stressed PEC Secretary General Blaise Lempen.
PEC addressed the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, saying that it “marks a very disturbing escalation in criminal activity targeting journalists around the world”. It called for an international commission of inquiry around the killing.
“The murder of the Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, even if not related to her work as a journalist, is also appalling”, it said. The NGO also noted that the “sponsors” of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killing are still unknown, a year after the murder took place.
Ten months into 2018, the number of journalists killed is already higher than last year, according to the PEC figures. Since January, 106 journalists and media workers were killed in 36 countries (compared to 99 for the whole year 2017), an increase of 18% compared to 2017. Afghanistan (17 killed), Mexico (15) and Yemen (8) witnessed the highest number of killings so far.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan