News Safety Institute

Credits: All from AP - from left: Martin Mejia (Lima 2000), David de la Paz (Mexico City 1999), Jose Luis Magana (Mexico City 1998), Nasser Nasser (Ramallah 2002), Srdjan Ilic (Kosovo 1998) & Nasser Nasser (Ramallah 2000).

2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990

Journalists & Media Staff Casualties
2005

Total number of Media Staff Killed
as of 31 December 2005

0

8

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

MEDIA STAFF KILLED FEBRUARY
27 February - Iraq - Unknown
Near Hilla, also south of the capital, a journalist with a US-funded Arabic language television station, Al-Hurra, was seriously wounded and his driver killed.
"The Al-Hurra car was attacked by gunmen, the driver killed, and journalist Mohammed Sherif Ali was badly wounded," police Lieutenant Thamer Sultan said.
Earlier this month, Al-Hurra correspondent Abdel Hussein Khazaal and his four-year-old son were killed in an attack by three gunmen. Khazaal was also the government press officer in the southern city of Basra.
MARCH
31 March - Brasil - Ricardo Gonzalves Rocha
Ricardo Gonzalves Rocha, 72, owner of the newspaper Jornal Vicentino of Sao Vicente in Sao Paulo, was assasinated in his car. He was shot three times by unknown gunman travelling on motorcycle.
AUGUST
28 August - Iraq - Waleed Khaled
Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad. Police said the Iraqi was shot by U.S. forces. Waleed Khaled, 35, was hit by a shot to the face and at least four to the chest as he drove to check a report of an incident involving police and gunmen in the western Hay al-Adil district.
Waleed leaves a seven-year-old daughter and his wife, who is four-months pregnant.
29 August - Sri Lanka - D Selveraja
A security guard at the Sudaroli printing press was killed when grenades were hurled at the door of the building. Journalist, Iliya Abdulla, proof-reader, Kamalanathan, and a visitor were also injured in the attack. There have been repeated attacks on the Sudaroli newspaper, and the editor has received threatening phone calls.
SEPTEMBER
17 September - Iraq - Sabah Mohssin
Sabah Mohssin, a driver for the Iraqi TV station Al-Irakiya, was killed in Baghdad on 17 September.
21 September - Iraq - Ahlam Youssef
Ahlam Youssef, an iraqi engineer working for al-Iraqiya television was gunned down in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad. Hospital and police sources said Youssef was driving in a car with her husband, who was also killed, and her son, who was wounded in the attack.
OCTOBER
26 October - Brazil - Jose Maria Ramos da Silva
José Maria Ramos da Silva, a driver employed by the "Diário do Nordeste" regional daily, was shot while accompanying two of its journalists on a visit to a slum in Fortaleza, in the northeastern state of Ceará.
The shooting occurred when Da Silva, 55, drove reporter Aécio Santiago and photographer José Leomar to a centre used by social workers in the slum of Favela dos Sandras, on the afternoon of 26 October, and waited for them outside.
As the journalists emerged from the building on completing their work, they saw Da Silva being held up by a gunman. As they went to look for help, they heard shots. According to an autopsy, Da Silva was shot three times at close range, in the ear, chest and abdomen. He had also been struck in the face many times with great force.
DECEMBER
21 December - Sri Lanka - K. Navarathnam
K. Navarathnam (about 45), newspaper delivery person of Tamil language news paper Yal Thinakkural, was shot dead in northern capital of Jaffna.
Yal Thinakkural is the Jaffna edition of Colombo based Tamil daily Thinakkural.

top