A hundred and twenty-eight journalists were killed globally in 2025, the International Federation of Journalists said on Wednesday.
More than half of the killings of journalists (74) occurred in West Asia, the Belgium-based federation said. Forty-four percent of the journalists (56) had been killed in Gaza amid Israel’s war on the besieged Palestinian territory.
Eighteen journalists were killed during the year in Africa, 15 in Asia-Pacific, 11 in the Americas and 10 in Europe.
The list included nine accidental deaths.
In India, four deaths were documented by the federation. It noted the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who ran the YouTube channel Bastar Junction, on January 1, 2025.
He was murdered for allegedly reporting on alleged irregularities in a road construction project in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. His body was found in a septic tank on the property of the road contractor.
The federation said that 533 journalists had been imprisoned for their work during the year.
The Asia-Pacific region had the largest share of journalists who had been jailed. Of the 277 journalists jailed in the region, 143 were in China and 49 in Myanmar.
In 2024, the federation had recorded 122 deaths of journalists and 516 having been imprisoned.
On Wednesday, the federation condemned the “persistent failure” of the authorities to protect journalists, and called for immediate and decisive action to end the violence.
Anthony Bellanger, the…
Source: 128 journalists killed globally in 2025, says press body
