Media Watchdog: 45 Journalists Killed in 2021

Media Watchdog: 45 Journalists Killed in 2021
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Media Watchdog: 45 Journalists Killed in 2021

Media Watchdog: 45 Journalists Killed in 2021

A total of 45 journalists were killed worldwide in 2021, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday -- "one of the lowest death tolls" it has recorded for any year.

The figure tracked closely with a toll of 46 killings of journalists given two weeks ago by another media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (known by its initials RSF), which also noted it as its lowest-ever since starting its tallies in 1995.

"While this decrease is welcome news, it is small comfort in the face of continued violence," the Brussels-based IFJ said in statement.

The toll included nine in Afghanistan, the highest number suffered by a single country.

Elsewhere, eight died in Mexico, four in India and three in Pakistan.

The IFJ said the media workers "more often than not are killed for exposing corruption, crime and abuse of power in their communities, cities and countries".

According to the group's count, the Asia-Pacific region -- which includes Afghanistan -- was the deadliest, with 20 killings. Then came the Americas, with 10, Africa, with eight, Europe with six, and the Middle East and Arab countries with just one. It also mentioned the death of two journalists in a "deadly accident" in Iran.

While "the risks associated with armed conflict have reduced in recent years" because fewer journalists were able to report on the ground, "the threats of crime gang and drug cartels’ rule from the slums in Mexico to the streets of European cities in Greece and the Netherlands continue to increase", AFP quoted it as saying.

IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger emphasized his organization’s support for a UN convention for the protection of journalists to "ensure accountability for journalists’ killings".



North Korean Leader Vows Support for Russia in its War on Ukraine

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) greeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, 12 July 2025 (Issued 13 July 2025). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) greeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, 12 July 2025 (Issued 13 July 2025). EPA/KCNA
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North Korean Leader Vows Support for Russia in its War on Ukraine

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) greeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, 12 July 2025 (Issued 13 July 2025). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) greeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, 12 July 2025 (Issued 13 July 2025). EPA/KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has told Russia's top diplomat his country was ready to “unconditionally support” all actions taken by Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, state media has reported, as the two countries held high-level strategic talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia's war with Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict, Reuters reported on Saturday.

Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defense pact.

Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported.

“Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,” KCNA said.

Earlier, Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where he described the two nations' relations as “an invincible fighting brotherhood.”

The ministry quoted Lavrov as saying that the visit represented the continuation of “strategic dialogue” between the two sides inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea last year.

In a message passed on by Lavrov, Putin said that he hoped for more direct contacts in future, TASS news agency reported.

Lavrov, the ministry said, also thanked North Korea for the troops it had sent to Russia.

Relations between the two countries deepened during the conflict in Ukraine.

Thousands of North Korean troops were deployed during the months-long campaign to oust Ukrainian forces from Russia's Kursk region, while Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with munitions.

Lavrov also met with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, TASS reported.