India ranked 7th in list of unsolved journo murders

New Delhi (PTI) - India has earned the dubious
distinction of being listed in the 2011 'Impunity Index'
prepared by an international media watchdog on the basis of
unsolved murders of scribes - an issue that has again come to
the fore after the killing of a senior reporter in Mumbai.
Only 13 countries -- with five or more unsolved cases
of murder of journalists from January 1, 2001 to December 31,
2010 -- have been included on the index.
India is at the 13th spot with seven such instances,
or 0.006 unsolved journalist murders per one million
inhabitants, according to the report of Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ).
Murders make up more than 70 per cent of work-related
deaths among journalists across the world, according to CPJ.
The index calculated the number of unsolved journalist murders
as a percentage of each country's population. Cases were
considered unsolved when no convictions have been obtained.
The index, which lists Iraq as the top country in
respect of unsolved scribe murders, does not include cases of
journalists killed in combat or while carrying out dangerous
assignments such as coverage of street protests.
Iraq has recorded 92 unsolved murders during this
period, while the Philippines has reported 56 -- being the
second highest in regard to number of such cases. When
compared with the overall population of the country, Iraq
remains at top followed by Somalia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka
and Colombia.
The index released earlier this month places Pakistan
at 10th spot and Bangladesh at 11th. Six of South Asian
nations Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and India are on the list.