The International Press Institute (IPI) has revealed that a total of 45 journalists were killed on the job in 2021.

In a press release published on its website on Wednesday, the IPI stated that while violence against journalists remains a global challenge, Asia-Pacific was the deadliest region for journalists in 2021, with 18 killings, six in each of India and Afghanistan.

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“Ten killings occurred in the Americas, which led the list in 2020. Seven journalists were killed in Mexico, one in Colombia, one in Guatemala, and one in Haiti. Six journalists were killed in Europe: two in Azerbaijan, one in Georgia, one in Turkey, one in the Netherlands (listed as Under Investigation), and one in Greece,” the statement reads in part.

The IPI said that two journalists were killed in Yemen, while nine journalists were killed in Sub-Saharan Africa, most of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by Burkina Faso and Somalia which recorded two deaths each.

Among the 45 journalists were 40 men and five women. A total of 28 were targeted due to their work, three were killed while covering conflicts, two lost their lives covering civil unrest, and one journalist was killed while on an assignment. Eleven cases are still under investigation.

Through its Death Watch, the IPI revealed that the killings of journalists have occurred in almost every part of the world, and that journalists’ safety is a global problem that is not confined to particular regions.

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“The sombre tally reflects the continued risks of doing journalism and reaffirms journalist safety as a global challenge. IPI calls on authorities to end impunity for these crimes and to ensure the protection of journalists, who must be able to do their work freely and safely,” the statement read.

“IPI has repeatedly called on local authorities to end impunity for crimes against journalists and will continue to do so. Impunity for such killings fuels violence against the media at a time when the free flow of news is more important than ever. States must do more to solve attacks on journalists. And the international community must sanction regimes – such as Saudi Arabia – complicit in such killings.”