Deadliest year for journalists

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The year 2024 will be remembered as the deadliest year for journalists in over three decades. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 124 media workers were killed across 18 countries. Nearly 70% of these deaths were linked to Israel's military campaign in Gaza, where 85 journalists - 82 of them Palestinians - lost their lives. Beyond this staggering toll, countries such as Sudan and Pakistan also saw a rise in journalist fatalities, highlighting a global deterioration in press freedom and safety.

Journalism is becoming an increasingly dangerous profession, especially in regions experiencing political unrest and armed conflict. In Pakistan, which had recorded no journalist deaths since 2021, six journalists were killed amid rising political instability and media censorship. The implications of this crisis extend far beyond the media industry. The silencing of journalists is a direct assault on the public's right to information, weakening democratic accountability and enabling authoritarian tendencies to thrive. Governments and international organisations must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to investigate attacks and hold those responsible to account. However, Pakistan's deteriorating press freedom is not only marked by journalist killings but also by legal and institutional repression. The PECA Act, originally introduced as a cybersecurity law, has increasingly been used to target journalists and stifle dissent. Under the guise of regulating digital spaces, PECA has enabled the arrest, intimidation and censorship of media professionals, further shrinking the space for independent journalism. Combined with an uptick in violence against journalists, this legal tool has created an environment where press freedom is under constant threat.

Pakistan must commit to independent investigations into journalist killings, ensuring that perpetrators - whether state or non-state actors - are held accountable. Judicial oversight, including fast-track courts for press-related cases, could serve as a deterrent against such crimes.