Russia hosted Memorial Day for journalists killed on duty

UFA, 16 December 2019. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

A Memorial Day for journalists killed in the line of duty was celebrated in Russia on December 15. This date was established in 1991 by a decision of the Union of Journalists of Russia.

In 2012, according to the International Press Institute (IPI), the world’s record number of journalists has died in recent years - 119 people. The most dangerous countries for the coverage of events were Syria and Somalia.

In Russia, according to the Russian Union of Journalists, from 10 to 20 reporters die every year under various circumstances. The list of journalists killed in the line of duty includes Aleksey Sidorov, editor-in-chief of the Togliatti Obozreniye newspaper, Anna Politkovskaya, Novaya Gazeta columnist, Dmitry Kholodov, Moskovsky Komsomolets, Vladislav Listyev ORT TV company CEO, Artem Borovik, the head of the “Sovershenno Sekretno” publishing company.

Photojournalist Andrei Stenin, cameraman Anatoly Klyan, correspondent Igor Kornelyuk, journalist Anton Voloshin were killed performing their professional duties. All of them were posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

In memory of the journalists who sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom of speech, the editions of the leading Russian media agencies instituted various awards.

On November 2, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) is marked as part of the UN International Day System.