ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Both Syria and Iraq remain among top five countries where killers of journalists continue to be unpunished, according to the latest index published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday. Syria has been ranked second and Iraq third in CPJ’s Global Impunity Index for years for failing to punish perpetrators of journalists’ killings. CPJ released its 2022 index in which Syria remains second while Iraq moves to the fifth spot. “In the decade since the United Nations launched a Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, no one has been brought to justice in nearly 80% of the 263 cases of journalists murdered in retaliation for their work worldwide,” read a press release from the CPJ on Tuesday. “The annual index is a striking reminder of the need for urgent interventions on behalf of journalists globally. An early collaborator on the U.N. plan, CPJ renews its call for action by governments to prioritize journalist safety,” it added. Somalia remains the worst country for unpunished journalist killings. CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg was cited in the press release as saying “journalists are being murdered in retaliation for their work with near total impunity. This lack of justice empowers perpetrators to continue silencing the press.” Syria has been in a civil war for more than a decade. It has been seen as a dangerous place not only for journalists but for activists as well, especially in rebel-held areas in northwestern towns. Journalists across Iraq have been targeted since the outbreak of Iraq’s protest movement in October 2019 across central and southern parts of the country. Scores have been arrested, kidnapped and shot dead since the demonstrations began. Militia groups have been accused of threatening and killing journalists. A total of 17 unsolved murders have been recorded in Iraq in the last 15 years and 16 unresolved murders have been recorded in Syria in the last nine years, according to the index published on Tuesday.
