A relentless massacre, with figures that show no sign of declining year after year. 42 journalists were killed in 2020 while doing their job, according to the findings of the annual report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). A further 235 were imprisoned by national governments because of their activities, deemed inconvenient. Attacks, arbitrary arrests, intimidation: for many, the journalism profession continues to be a source of stress and fear over the reprisals it can bring. And of all countries, the worst in this respect is Mexico.

A tragic bulletin

For thirty years the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the largest federation bringing together journalists' unions and associations, has been collecting data on attacks suffered by reporters around the world. To date, the journalists killed number 2,658, of whom 42 in 2020. This latest figure is roughly the same as that of the 1990s, confirming that although today's numbers are slightly lower than a few years ago, in general the situation of reporters has not seen any real improvement.

The most dangerous country for the journalism profession is Mexico, with 13 murders this year. In second place is Pakistan, with five killings, while in Afghanistan, India, Iraq and Nigeria there were three. Another major problem concerns imprisonments. 235 journalists were arrested in 2020, often without formal charges, other than the uncomfortable investigations they were conducting. A serious obstacle to press freedom, which on the one hand acts as a gag, and on the other makes it difficult to report the truth for fear of the consequences.

IFJ @IFJGlobal

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On #HumanRightsDay2020, we launch a White Paper on Global Journalism to contribute to the debate on the challenges faced by our profession 🗞️
It shows that 2658 journalists have been killed since 1990, 42 of them in 2020, and 235 are currently in prison
ifj.org/media-centre/n…

♥ 45💬 58 10 dic 2020 · Apri su X →

"These findings highlight the serious abuses committed by governments seeking to shield themselves from accountability by imprisoning journalists and denying them a fair trial," stressed Younes Mjahed, president of the International Federation of Journalists. "The staggering number of our colleagues behind bars is a reminder of the price that journalists around the world pay for their pursuit of truth."

The Mexican case

In four of the last five years, the country recording the highest number of journalist murders has been Mexico. And 2020 was more than ever an annus horribilis in this regard, accounting for one third of murders globally. A few weeks ago a government official provided an even more tragic bulletin, citing 19 deaths against the 13 counted by the International Federation of Journalists, and highlighting how in the last decade a total of 138 journalists have been murdered in the country.

In November alone, two Mexican journalists were shot dead within ten days of each other: Israel Vázquez was gunned down in the street while investigating an alleged murder; Jesús Alfonso Piñuelas, who covered crime and security in the municipality of Cajeme, was killed while riding his motorcycle. There was also a third murder, that of reporter Arturo Alba Medina at the hands of a local gang, but local authorities dismissed it as a "mistake" — a version that many find unconvincing.

Behind these tragic figures lies an institutional and judicial problem. The authorities do very little to find those responsible, with the result that only 5 per cent of reporter murders committed in recent years have ended in a conviction. "If you want to kill a journalist, you can do so with little risk of being caught," warned Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The violent suppression of press freedom in Mexico remains far too often unpunished, with no laws or courts to act as a deterrent.