Journalist Deaths in 2023

Journalism can be a dangerous occupation.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that 94 journalists and media workers, including 9 women, were killed in 2023. The war in Gaza resulted in an unprecedented scale and pace of loss, with over one journalist per day losing their life since October 7. The IFJ has again emphasized the need for greater international action to protect journalists and to ensure that their attackers are somehow held accountable. The conflict in Gaza accounted for 72% of global journalist deaths in 2023, marking it as the deadliest for journalists since the IFJ started recording such incidents in 1990.

The IFJ is calling for international authorities, particularly the International Criminal Court, to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for attacks on journalists.

IFJ’s map of journalist deaths around the world

The report also highlights the alarming number of journalist imprisonments, with 393 journalists and media workers currently behind bars. Perhaps unsurprisingly, China and Hong Kong has the highest number of jailed journalists (80), followed by Myanmar (54), Turkey (41), Russia and occupied Crimea (40), Belarus (35), Egypt (23), Vietnam (18), Saudi Arabia (11), India (10), and Syria (9). The IFJ expressed concerns about the increasing trend of political repression, aiming to silence the media and curb freedom, as evidenced by the growing number of jailed journalists over the past three years.

No-one should be killed for merely ‘writing something’ or taking photographs!

One of the journalists killed in Gaza was Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah, you can read about his killing here: Israeli tank fire killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon

Read the IFT press release here

For more information, check out the RSF (Reporters without Borders) pages on violence against journalists.