Unsolved journalists’ murders: Phl ranks 3rd

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – For the fourth consecutive year, the Philippines has been ranked as the third worst place for journalists worldwide in the impunity index of the New York based-Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The Philippines ranked behind only Iraq and Somalia in the impunity index.

Behind the worst three are Sri Lanka (4), Colombia (5), Afghanistan (6), Mexico (7), Pakistan (8), Russia (9), Brazil (10), Nigeria (11) and India (12).

CPJ said journalists in the Philippines are murdered regularly and their killers go free like in war-torn Syria, Iraq and Somalia.

In the impunity index released Wednesday, CPJ said Pakistan, Russia and Brazil achieved at least one conviction in the murder of a journalist.

CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in the index report that in too many countries, the climate of impunity engenders further violence and deprives citizens of their basic right to information.

“Growing awareness about the threat posed by failure to solve journalist murders must be translated into concrete action. Governments and the international community need to work together to end this vicious cycle,” he said.

A series of murders has added a new threat to the mix in Syria, the most dangerous place in the world for journalists to do their jobs.

Iraq remains the worst on the Index with a hundred journalists murdered in the past decade, all with impunity. After a respite in 2012, nine murders took place last year.