`Latin America most dangerous region for journalists in 2010′

Geneva, Dec 28 (IANS/EFE) Latin America was the most dangerous region for the press in 2010, with 35 of the 105 worldwide murders of journalists occurring there, the Swiss-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said Monday.

Mexico was the most dangerous country in the region, with 14 murders, a number similar to that of Pakistan.

Next most dangerous was Honduras, with nine journalists killed in attacks on the press, and Iraq, with the same number of victims.

Seventh among high-risk countries for the press was Colombia with four slayings this year, two less than the Philippines and one less than Russia, but at par with Brazil and Nigeria, according to the Swiss NGO.

“The killing of journalists has become an epidemic with no cure,” PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen said. “The international community has not found solutions to it, or put in place effective mechanisms for bringing the perpetrators of those crimes against journalists to trial.”

Since PEC began keeping statistics five years ago, 529 journalists paid with their lives for performing their professional duties.

During this period, Iraq topped the list of the world’s most perilous countries with 127 murders, followed by the Philippines and Mexico, with 59 and 47, respectively.

The Press Emblem Campaign promotes the adoption of international legislation to strengthen protection for journalists engaged in carrying out their mission, said its president, Hedayat Abdel Nabi.

–IANS/EFE