Forty-five journalists have been killed in the line of duty in 2021, the International Press Institute (IPI) has revealed.
The IPI disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
It said the figure was the outcome of research conducted by the organization since the beginning of 2021, which was released on Wednesday.
The IPI said the development “reflects the continued risks of doing journalism and reaffirms journalist safety as a global challenge”.
Out of the 45 casualties, 40 were male and five were female, according to the global journalism body.
It said a total of 28 journalists were targeted due to their work, while three were killed while covering conflict, two lost their lives covering civil unrest, and one was killed while on assignment.
While nine were killed in Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, and Somalia, the IPI said Mexico, Afghanistan, and India were the three deadliest countries for journalists to work in.
The IPI said 11 cases are still under investigation.
The organisation, however, urged leaders of countries to end impunity against journalists and ensure their protection to enable them to do their work freely and safely.
The IPI has tracked cases of journalists killed in the line of duty since 1997.
