A dangerous profession

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Into the heart of darkness Assault on heritage Weapons of mass deception Butchery by any other name Analysis: New weapons for the weak Case study: 'Either we surrender, or we resist' Analysis: Weapons of mass financial destruction 'This is for Yopougon!' Brain-wake Documents: Violence unconstrained Violence Iraq 2004: the facts Testimonies: Iraq Iraq 2004 timeline Testimonies: Palestine Palestine timeline 2004 Palestine 2004: the facts Testimonies: Sudan Case study: Chechnya Photo gallery: Brutality knows no bounds; Casualties of occupation; Violence, violence everywhere

This year, many journalists lost their lives just for doing their job. In fact, 2004 witnessed the highest rate of death in the profession since 1994. Fifty-five journalists lost their lives in countries as various as Bangladesh, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Haiti, India, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Sri Lanka. Iraq predictably topped the list, with 23 journalists killed on its territories in the course of the year. It was followed by the Philippines, which saw eight deaths, and Bangladesh, where there were three.

Number of journalists killed: 55

Journalists deliberately killed: around 32

(Causes for deliberate killings: reporting on criminal gangs, drug trafficking and organised crime, as well as criticising or opposing governments. )

Journalists killed for "unconfirmed motives": 17

Number of journalists who died while working as freelancers: 11

Number of "media workers" killed in 2004: 17 (16 in Iraq)

(Media workers are defined as those who accompany reporters as "drivers, interpreters, fixers or guards".)

Victim's stories:

Ali Abdel-Aziz

Abdel-Aziz, a camera man who worked for Al-Arabiya TV channel in Iraq, lost his life when he was shot dead by bullets fired from close to a US military check point. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), after an investigation lasting several days, the US military accepted responsibility for the incident, describing Abdel- Aziz as the victim of an "accidental shooting".

Veeraboina Yadagiri

Yadagiri, a reporter for the Andhra Prabha daily newspaper in India, was stabbed in the back several times till he was dead. The motive for the attack was a series of articles he had written opposing the "illegal sale of home-brewed liquor", otherwise known as "toddy". Yadagiri has accused "local politicians" of being involved in the toddy trade, which placed consumers' lives at risk due to the inferior quality of the product. Before his death, Yadagiri submitted a complaint to the police forces that he had received several death threats from a local contractor involved in the business.

Francisco Arratia Saldierna

Saldierna, a columnist who used to write for four newspapers in Mexico, had penned a number of articles attacking political corruption, organised crime and the education system. He was subsequently kidnapped and severely beaten. The assault left him with serious chest injuries, broken fingers and a fractured skull. He was found in front of the Red Cross office and taken to hospital, where he died soon after of a heart attack. It later emerged that his kidnappers had determined to torture Arratia to death as a result of his "journalistic work".

Safir Nader, Abdul-Sattar Abdul-Karim, Ayoub Mohamed, Haymin Mohamed Salih, and Semko Karim Mohiuddin

These five cameramen all lost their lives while covering a celebration hosted by two Kurdish political groups in Arbil, Iraq, on the first day of the Eid holiday . Two bombs claimed their lives, along with those of around 100 other people.

Based on the Committee to Protect Journalists' report on "Journalists Killed in 2004".

Compiled by Magda El-Ghitany