Overall, 2011 took a heavy toll on media freedom. The Arab Spring was at the centre of the news. Of the total of 66 journalists killed in 2011, 20 were killed in the Middle East (twice as many as in 2010). A similar number were killed in Latin America, which is very exposed to the threat of criminal violence. For the second year running, Pakistan was the single deadliest country with a total of 10 journalists killed, most of them murdered. China, Iran and Eritrea continue to be the world’s biggest prisons for the media.
The Arab Spring, the protest movements it inspired in nearby countries such as Sudan and Azerbaijan, and the street protests in other countries such as Greece, Belarus, Uganda, Chile and the United States were responsible for the dramatic surge in the number of arrests, from 535 in 2010 to 1,044 in 2011. There were many cases of journalists being physically obstructed in the course of their work (by being detained for short periods or being summoned for interrogation), and for the most part they represented attempts by governments to suppress information they found threatening.
The 43 per cent increase in physical attacks on journalists and the 31 per cent increase in arrests of netizens – who are leading targets when they provide information about street demonstrations during media blackouts – were also significant developments in a year of protest. Five netizens were killed in 2011, three of them in Mexico alone.
From Cairo’s Tahrir Square to Khuzdar in southwestern Pakistan, from Mogadishu to the cities of the Philippines, the risks of working as a journalist at times of political instability were highlighted more than ever in 2011. The street was where danger was to be found in 2011, often during demonstrations that led to violent clashes with the security forces or degenerated into open conflict.
Below is the list of the journalists and media personnels who lost their lives while covering all the major events of 2011 that you heard about. Click on the Journalist name for more information.
November 23, 2011, in Baku, Azerbaijan
Javed Naseer Rind, Daily TawarNovember, in Khuzdar, Pakistan
Zakariya Isa, Nigeria Television AuthorityOctober 22, 2011, in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Hadi al-Mahdi, freelanceSeptember 8, 2011, in Baghdad, Iraq
Noramfaizul Mohd, Bernama TVSeptember 2, 2011, in Mogadishu, Somalia
José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos, La Voz de la Verdad, Caña TVAugust 2, 2011, in La Romana, Dominican Republic
Ahmad Omaid Khpalwak, Pajhwok Afghan News, BBCJuly 28, 2011, in Tarin Kot, Afghanistan
Shafiullah Khan, The News
June 17, 2011, in Wah Cantonment, Pakistan
Romeo Olea, DWEBJune 13, 2011, in Iriga City, Philippines
Asfandyar Khan, Akhbar-e-KhyberJune 11, 2011, in Peshawar, Pakistan
Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online
May 29 or 30, 2011, in Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan
Nasrullah Khan Afridi, Khyber News Agency, Pakistan Television, MashreqMay 10, 2011, in Peshawar, Pakistan
Sylvain Gagnetau Lago, Radio YopougonMay 8, 2011, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Chris Hondros, Getty ImagesApril 20, 2011, in Misurata, Libya
Tim Hetherington, FreelanceApril 20, 2011, in Misurata, Libya
Karim Fakhrawi, Al-WasatApril 12, 2011, in Manama, Bahrain
Anton Hammerl, FreelanceApril 5, 2011, in an area near Brega, Libya
Sabah al-Bazi, Al-ArabiyaMarch 29, 2011, in Tikrit, Iraq
Luis Emanuel Ruiz Carrillo, La PrensaMarch 25, 2011, in Monterrey, Mexico
Ali Hassan al-Jaber, Al-JazeeraMarch 13, 2011, in an area near Benghazi, Libya
Gerardo Ortega, DWARJanuary 24, 2011, in Puerto Princesa City, Philippines
Lucas Mebrouk Dolega, European Pressphoto AgencyJanuary 17, 2011, in Tunis, Tunisia
Wali Khan Babar, Geo TVJanuary 13, 2011, in Karachi, Pakistan
Farah Hassan Sahal, Radio Simba
August 4, 2011, in Mogadishu, Somalia
Mohamed Shaglouf, freelanceMarch 15, 2011, in Ajdabiya, Libya
Marcel Legré, La Refondation
February 28, 2011, in Koumassi, Ivory Coast
Rodolfo Ochoa Moreno, Grupo Multimedios LagunaFebruary 9, 2011, in Torreón, Mexico
Ferzat Jarban, FreelanceNovember 19 or 20, 2011, in Al-Qasir, Syria
Fuad al-Shamri, Al-Saeeda TVOctober 22, 2011, in Sana’a, Yemen
Noel López Olguín, Freelance
March 2011, in Chinameca, Mexico
Mohamed al-Hamdani, Al-Itijah February 24, 2011, in Ramadi, Iraq
Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud, Al-Ta'awunFebruary 4, 2011, in Cairo, Egypt
Le Hoang Hung, Nguoi Lao DongJanuary 30, 2011, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Wael Mikhael, Al-TareeqOctober 9, 2011, in Cairo, Egypt
Faisal Qureshi, London Post
October 7, 2011, in Lahore, Pakistan
Maria Elizabeth Macías Castro, FreelanceSeptember 24, 2011, in an area near Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Phamon Phonphanit, Sue Samut AtyakamSeptember 24, 2011, in Yala, Thailand
Hassan al-Wadhaf, Arabic Media AgencySeptember 24, 2011, in Sana'a, Yemen
Farhad Taqaddosi, Press TVSeptember 20, 2011, in Kabul, Afghanistan
Mohammed al-Nabbous, Libya Al-Hurra TVMarch 19, 2011, in Benghazi, Libya
Jamal al-Sharaabi, Al-MasdarMarch 18, 2011, in Sana’a, Yemen
Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad, Al-AynMarch 29, 2011, in Tikrit, Iraq
Zakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri, FreelanceApril 9, 2011, in Al-Dair, Bahrain
Alwan al-Ghorabi, AfaqJune 21, 2011, in Diwaniyya, Iraq
Edinaldo Filgueira, Jornal o SerranoJune 15, 2011, in Serra do Mel, Brazil
Pedro Alfonso Flores Silva, Channel 6September 8, 2011, in Chimbote, Peru