By Nava Thakuria*
Global Toll: 161 Journalists Killed in 2025
Gaza Dominates Deadliest Year for Media
As 2025 draws to a close, it stands as one of the most dangerous years for journalists this century, second only to 2024. According to the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a total of 161 media workers lost their lives across 31 countries, compared to 179 in the previous year. India recorded six such fatalities from targeted attacks, yet its northeastern region—once notorious for violence against the press—completed nearly a decade without a single journalist murder.
On a global scale, the Middle East accounted for the highest number of deaths at 87, followed by Latin America (25), Asia (22), Africa (15), Europe (10), and the United States (2). PEC reports that around 60 journalists perished in the Gaza Strip, primarily due to Israeli airstrikes. Since the conflict escalated following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, at least 221 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza alone.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war claimed nine journalists caught in the crossfire from both sides. PEC President Blaise Lempen highlighted emerging dangers: “The growing deployment of undetectable, high-speed drones represents a grave new risk to correspondents in conflict zones, while access to affected areas becomes increasingly limited.”
Among the hardest-hit nations, Yemen saw 15 media deaths, including 13 in a single Israeli strike on September 10. Mexico, plagued by cartel violence, topped the list with nine assassinations. Sudan reported eight fatalities amid intensifying civil strife. PEC documented six deaths in India, five each in Ecuador, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; four in Iran (from an Israeli strike in Tehran) and the Philippines; and three in Syria. Nations losing two journalists each included Afghanistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and the United States.
In India, the victims were Mukesh Chandrakar (NDTV stringer, Bastar, Chhattisgarh), Raghavendra Vajpayee (Dainik Jagran, Imalia Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh), Sahadev Dey (Republic Andaman, Diglipur, Andaman Islands), Dharmendra Singh Chauhan (Fast News India, Gurugram, Haryana), Naresh Kumar (Times Odia, Bhubaneswar, Odisha), and Rajeev Pratap Singh (Delhi Uttarakhand Live, Joshiyara, Uttarakhand). A suspected case involved freelance journalist Pankaj Mishra from Dehradun.
Neighbouring Pakistan, which saw 12 journalist killings in 2024, reported five in 2025: AD Shar (Hum News, Khairpur, Sindh), Abdul Latif (Daily Intekhab/Aaj News, Awaran, Balochistan), Syed Mohammed Shah (Ab-Tak TV, Jacobabad, Sindh), Imtiaz Mir (Metro One News, Karachi, Sindh), and Tufail Rind (Royal News, Ghotki, Sindh).
Bangladesh, shaken by seven media deaths amid political turmoil in 2024, recorded five more: Assaduzzaman Tuhin (Dainik Pratidiner Kagoj, Gazipur), Bibhuranjan Sarkar (Ajker Patrika, Munshiganj), Wahed-uz-Zaman Bulu (Dainik Ajker Kagoj, Dhaka), Khandahar Shah Alam (Dainik Matrijagat, Dhaka), and Imdadul Haque Milon (Bartaman Somoy, Shalua).
The Philippines, with just one fatality in 2024, suffered four losses: Juan Johny Dayang (Philippine Graphic Magazine, Aklan), Erwin Labitad Segovia (Radio WOW FM, Bislig City), Noel Bellen Samar (DWTZ, Guinabatan), and Gerry Campos (Barangay Sta. Cruz, Surigao del Sur).
Afghanistan reported two deaths—Abdul Ghafoor Abid (Paktia National Radio Television, Khost) and Abdul Zahir Safi (state-run outlet, Kabul)—after none in 2024. Nepal saw one killing: Suresh Rajak (Avenues TV, Kathmandu). Meanwhile, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bhutan, Tibet (under Chinese administration), Sri Lanka, and the Maldives reported no journalist fatalities.
Remarkably, India’s northeastern region, home to over 60 million people and once a hotspot for insurgent violence, marked another year free of journalist assassinations. The last recorded cases occurred in 2017 in Tripura, where Shantanu Bhowmik and Sudip Datta Bhaumik were killed. That state had previously seen three murders in 2013 when Sujit Bhattacharya, Ranjit Chowdhury, and Balaram Ghosh were stabbed to death in an Agartala newspaper office. Earlier incidents included killings in Assam and Manipur in 2012, with Assam alone losing more than 25 journalists to violence since 1987.
This sustained period of relative peace in the northeast offers a stark contrast to persistent risks elsewhere, underscoring the importance of improved security and accountability in protecting media professionals worldwide.
*Senior journalist
