In its latest annual reminder of the plight of journalists worldwide, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that 2018 saw the murder of 53 journalists, the highest number of killings globally in three years, with over 250 languishing in jail as a direct result of their work. Things aren't looking good for Southasia either, with the figures particularly bleak in Afghanistan.
19 journalists were killed in Southasia this year, a significant increase from 11 in 2017. Most of these deaths (13) were concentrated in Afghanistan, which saw the highest number of journalist killings in any year since the CJP began counting, including 2001 when the US invasion took place. Most of these deaths occurred in targeted back-to-back bombings in Kabul, where suicide bombers posed as journalists, and whose responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State.
Five journalists were killed in India this year, including senior journalist and editor of Rising Kashmir Shujaat Bukhari, who was gunned down in Srinagar in public in June. Sohail Khan, a reporter for the Urdu daily K2 Times in Pakistan, was the other Southasian journalist to pay with his life for his work.
Where imprisonment of journalists is concerned, according to the CPJ, four journalists were under incarceration throughout Southasia, as of 1 December 2018, compared to the 11 that were imprisoned last year. Among them are Reuters' Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone in Myanmar, who were convicted of violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act in their coverage of atrocities against the Rohingya.