India Reports 4 Journalist Killings in 2025 So Far: PEC Report
Geneva: The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has reported a dramatic surge in journalist killings in the first six months of 2025. A total of 86 media workers were killed in 26 countries between January and June, marking a rise of more than 16% compared to the same period last year.
The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip accounts for the highest number of casualties, with at least 31 Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces. This alone represents over one-third of the total fatalities recorded in the six-month period.
“The Israeli government bears direct responsibility for this tragedy, targeting civilians who are reporting from Gaza. The soldiers involved must be identified and prosecuted for war crimes. This is a massacre on an unprecedented scale,” said PEC President Blaise Lempen, noting that nearly 200 Palestinian journalists have died since October 2023. He added, “The fighting must absolutely stop.”
Other conflict zones also proved deadly:
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Sudan: 6 journalists killed
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Mexico: 6 journalists murdered — one every month
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Ukraine–Russia war: 6 journalists killed (5 in Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia or within Russia)
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Iran: 4 journalists killed during Israeli airstrikes on Tehran in June
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India: 4 journalists killed
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Pakistan: 3 journalists killed
Countries reporting 2 journalist deaths include Colombia, Honduras, Iraq, USA, Peru, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Meanwhile, one fatality was recorded in Brazil, DR Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Lebanon, Nepal, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Zimbabwe.
Regional toll breakdown:
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Middle East: 43 deaths
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Latin America: 16
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Africa: 10
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Europe: 6
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North America: 2
In comparison, 179 journalists were killed in 2024, including 80 in Gaza, with 74 deaths in the first half of that year.
South & Southeast Asia Update
PEC’s South and Southeast Asia representative, Nava Thakuria, reported that India lost Mukesh Chandrakar, Raghavendra Vajpayee, Sahadev Dey, and Dharmendra Singh Chauhan to violence in 2025. In Pakistan, Allah Dino Shar, Abdul Latif Baloch, and Syed Mohammed Shah were murdered. Nepal also lost one journalist — Suresh Rajak.
However, Bangladesh and Myanmar have so far reported no journalist killings this year.
The PEC strongly condemned all such killings and called for thorough investigations, expressing hope for a less violent second half of 2025 for journalists worldwide.
