60 Journalists killed in 2010, 500 in one decade, UN says

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The United Nations has announced on Tuesday that sixty journalists have been killed during carrying their press duty in 2010, to raise the total reporters killed over the past decade to 500, warning that serious threats has began to escalate against the freedom of expression. “The past decade had witnessed over 500 journalists, who lost their lives during carrying out their vocational duty, including 60 of them, who were killed in 2010 in different parts of the world,” a UN Statement said. It stressed that “hardly a week passes without reports confirming the tolerance of journalists and reporters, exposed for terror and violence,” it said, adding that “human rights violations are something we can’t keep silent towards.” “The government authorities must not ignore chasing and punishing those, who carry out such acts against reporters, in order to secure and guarantee the security and safety of journalists,” it added. SKH (TI)/SR 410