Most Media Workers Killed in 2017 Were Latin Americans

According to the International Press Institute (IPI), the highest number of crimes against media workers occurred in Mexico, followed by Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia

The International Press Institute (IPI) issued a report that described Latin America as the most dangerous region for journalists in 2017, with 23 of them killed while working.

Barbara Trionfi, director of IPI, an institute headquartered in Austria, said that in many cases it is difficult to identify the perpetrators, something that leads to impunity.

According to the statement issued by IPI, the highest number of crimes against media workers occurred in Mexico with 13 victims, followed by Honduras with four, the Dominican Republic and Colombia with two each country, while Guatemala, Peru and Brazil with one in each nation.

Mexico has also the highest amount of media workers killed, compared to the rest of the world, followed by Iraq and Syria, with 11 and 9 killings respectively, which makes the Middle East and North Africa the second most dangerous regions in the world. Meanwhile, in Asia the number of fatal victims increased to 19, while in Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and North America the figure was eight, five and two killings in each region.

The report also indicated that among the 81 journalists killed this year, there were 10 women, a figure that increased compared to 2016, when four women were killed.