65 Journalists Killed in 2017, according to RSF Annual Round-Up

A total of 65 journalists (including professional journalists, citizen-journalists and media workers) were killed worldwide in 2017, according to the latest RSF Woldwide Round-up of Journalists Killed, Detained, Held Hostage, or Missing in 2017.

Twenty-six of them were killed in the course of their work, the collateral victims of a deadly situation such as an air strike, an artillery bombardment, or a suicide bombing.

The other 39 were murdered, and deliberately targeted because their reporting threatened political, economic, or criminal interests. As in 2016, most of the deaths were targeted (60%). The aim in each case was to silence them.

1035 professional journalists were killed in the past 15 years.

Worldwide, a total of 326 journalists are detained in connection with the provision of news and information as of December 1, 2017.

Nearly half of the the world’s imprisoned journalists are being held in just five countries: China, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Vietnam.

Turkey continues to be the world’s biggest prison for professional journalists (42 + 1 media worker).

Compiled by RSF every year since 1995, the annual round-up of abuses and acts of violence against journalists provides a detailed analysis of data.

 

Read more: 

Overview: figures at a glance

Journalists killed

Detained journalists

Journalists held hostage

Missing journalists

Action taken by RSF