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📍 Geneva, July 11, 2025 — The number of journalists killed worldwide has risen sharply in the first six months of 2025, with 86 media workers reported dead across 26 countries, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC).
🕊️ Conflict Zones Drive Casualties The Middle East remains the deadliest region, accounting for 43 fatalities, largely due to ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip, where 31 Palestinian journalists were killed by Israeli military actions. PEC President Blaise Lempen condemned the killings as “a massacre on an unprecedented scale,” calling for accountability and an immediate end to the violence.
Other conflict zones contributing to the toll include:
- Sudan: 6 journalists killed amid civil unrest
- Mexico: 6 journalists murdered, averaging one per month
- Ukraine and Russia: 6 fatalities linked to the ongoing war
- Iran: 4 media workers killed during Israeli airstrikes in Tehran
📍 Regional Breakdown
- Latin America: 16 deaths, including cases in Colombia, Honduras, and Peru
- Africa: 10 fatalities, with incidents in Somalia, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Europe: 6 deaths, including journalists in Ukraine and Russia
- Asia: 11 deaths, including 4 in India and 3 in Pakistan
- North America: 2 fatalities in the United States
📉 Comparative Data In 2024, a record 179 journalists were killed globally, with 80 deaths in Gaza alone. The current trajectory suggests 2025 may surpass last year’s total unless urgent measures are taken to protect media workers.
🗣️ Call for Accountability PEC and other press freedom advocates are urging governments and international bodies to conduct thorough investigations, prosecute perpetrators, and reinforce protections for journalists, especially in conflict zones.
For full details, see the report from Pressenza and The FINANCIAL.
