New York, January 4, Of the 24 journalists killed for their work in , according to CPJ research, at least 16 were murdered, most of those in countries where assassins have learned they can kill journalists with impunity. This figure is down from , when CPJ found that 34 journalists were killed for their work, 10 of them in war-torn Sierra Leone. In announcing the organization's annual accounting of journalists who lost their lives because of their work, CPJ executive director Ann Cooper noted that while most of the deaths occurred in countries experiencing war or civil strife, "The majority did not die in crossfire.
They were very deliberately targeted for elimination because of their reporting. Carlos Cardoso , Metical , November 22, Maputo Cardoso , 48, editor of the daily fax newsletter Metical , was shot dead by two assassins wielding AK assault rifles as he left his office in the capital, Maputo. He was known for his groundbreaking reporting on political corruption and organized crime in Mozambique, a country still recovering from a year civil war.
Metical had also reported recently on alleged wrongdoing at the Mozambique Commercial Bank. Though the Mozambican government condemned Cardoso's assassination and promised a full investigation, local journalists say police have been dragging their feet. Sufi Mohammad Khan , Ummat , May 2, Shadi Large Khan , 38, an investigative reporter with the Karachi-based daily Ummat who aggressively covered drug trafficking and organized prostitution, was shot dead by an alleged drug trafficker in the town of Shadi Large, southern Sindh Province.
The killer had reportedly visited Khan's house and warned him not to publish any more stories. On May 2, after another Khan investigation appeared in Ummat , the assassin confronted him and opened fire. Shortly after, the murderer surrendered to police and confessed to the murder. Rodriguez was covering a tour by government officials of village development projects. The Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan RHB , a rebel group, claimed responsibility for the attack but apologized for the journalist's murder.
They said local police were the intended target. Olimpio Jalapit, Jr. He had received numerous death threats over the years. On the morning of the murder a message on his cell phone said, "I will kill you today. Two former hostages said they had seen Chechen guards shoot Yatsina dead after he fell behind on a forced march.
