SULAIMANI (ESTA) — As many as 475 journalists have been killed in Iraq since 2003, according to the Iraqi journalists’ syndicate.
Head of Iraqi Journalists’ Syndicate Muayad al-Lami said on Saturday that journalists played an “influential role” in raising the morale of citizens during the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) in the country.
At least 55 journalists were killed during the battle between Iraqi forces and ISIS militants, Iraqi National News Agency (NINA) cited Lami as saying.
“Since 2003, 475 journalists have been martyred, which is the highest number in the world,” Lami was quoted as saying.
Iraq ranked third in 2020 list of countries where most of journalists and media workers were killed alongside India, Afghanistan and Nigeria, according to the International Federation of Journalists (JFJ) said last month.
Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, ranks 162 out of 180 on Reporters’ Without Borders’ 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
The country also ranked third on Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2020 Global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are slain and their killers go free.
