GENEVA
At least 138 journalists were killed in 32 countries in 2014 - the second deadliest year since 2012, the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign has said in an update to its annual report.
The campaign, a non-governmental organization aimed at strengthening the legal protection and safety of journalists on dangerous missions, said on Monday that more journalists had been killed over the last year than it has previously reported.
The statement read: “We missed the murder of six journalists according to the CPJ ( Committee to Protect Journalists) and IFJ (International Federation of Journalists) records.
"We have 19 journalists killed in Syria in 2014 and not 13 as previously reported."
Four more journalists had also been killed since December 15, 2014, including one in Honduras, one in Afghanistan, one in Brazil and one in the Democratic Republic of Congo in December, the campaign added.
PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi said the international community was watching the crimes without dealing with the core problem, which was a need for protection.
"The question is when will UN member states sit around a negotiating table to discuss measures to enhance the protection of journalists?" he asked.
Most dangerous place
PEC said Syria had proved the deadliest country for journalists over the past three years.
Gaza came second with 16 journalists being killed during Israel's attack on the Strip last summer.
Pakistan was third with 12 casualties and Iraq the fourth most dangerous place for media work, with 10 journalists killed, many of whom lost their lives following a surge of attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Ukraine took fifth place with nine journalists killed.
The Middle East was the most violent region with 52 journalists being killed, followed by Asia with 32, Latin America with 29, Sub-Saharan Africa with 15 and Europe with 10.
During the past five years an average of 125 journalists were killed annually - 2.4 per week, PEC said.
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