Introduction
1996 will be remembered as a year when the perils of investigative journalism where brought home to ordinary members of the public. Many journalists were killed for their investigative work, once more displaying the fact that the profession is not only a risky one in war zones.
The IFJ lists all journalists killed while working or because of their work. We make no distinction between a correspondent caught in the crossfire while covering a war and the violent death of other journalists killed while on assignment.
The IFJ works with other groups, notably the Committee to Protect Journalists, who also compile annual lists. However, our numbers differ because those groups only count the accidental deaths of journalists when they are covering an armed conflict. We include all forms of journalistic activity.
In 1996, we have continued to document the deaths of journalists killed in Algeria, although fortunately these have decreased, however, we have seen a worrying rise in the deaths of journalists in non conflict zones. This list testifies to the dangers of the profession and the courage of those exercising it.
There is no doubt that more must be done to protect journalists which is why the IFJ is calling for an international code of practice among media professionals to ensure that life insurance, medical assistance, risk-awareness training and social protection are provided for journalists.
Country by country Analysis
(JK=Journalists killed)
(UI/M = Under investigation or missing)
(MSK=Media Staff Killed)
Algeria 8 (JK) 7 (MSK)
Angola 1 (JK)
Bangladesh 1 (JK)
Cambodia 1 (JK)
Colombia 1 (JK)
Cyprus 1 (JK)
Guatemala 2 (JK)
Honduras 1 (JK)
India 2 (JK)
Indonesia 1 (JK)
Ireland 1 (JK)
Mexico 2 (JK) 1 (UI)
Pakistan 1 (JK)
Philippines 2 (JK)
Russia 10 (JK) 1 (MSK) 5(UI)
Spain 1 (UI)
Sudan 1 (UI)
Tajikistan 1 (JK)
Thailand 1 (UI)
Turkey 1 (JK) 1 (UI)
Ukraine 1 (JK)
USA 1 (UI)
Uzbekistan 1 (UI)
Total number 38 (JK) 9 (MSK) 11 (UI)
FIGURES AS AT 18 DECEMBER 1996
IFJ Killed List 1996
This list is compiled for the International Federation of Journalists by the Journalists' Safety Service (JSS), an information and documentation project established by the IFJ and the Netherlands Association of Journalists.
The list contains the total number of killed journalists as known to the international journalists community. However, the number of journalists counted is subject to alteration as a result of ongoing research and investigation.
Further information can be obtained from:
International Federation of Journalists
266 rue Royale
1210 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 2 223 22 65
Fax: +32 2 219 29 76
http://www.ifj.org
Cases of Journalists Killed
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 1.
name: Mohamed Mekati
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: El Moudjahid
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 12/01/96
age: 39
source: AJA
description: On 09/01/1996, Mekati, a correspondent for the the newspaper "El Moudjahid", was ambushed and shot by unidentified gunmen, he died from his wounds on 10/01/1996.
Additional: The attack took place near Mekati's home in Ain Naadja, a suburb south west of Algiers, as he returned from work. Noone has claimed responsibility.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 2.
name: Khaled Aboulkacem
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: L'Indépendant
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 14/01/96
age: 30
source: AJA
description: Aboulkacem, researcher for the Frenchlanguage independent newspaper "L'Indépendant" was killed by gunmen late in the evening of 13/01/1996, as he left the paper's office in Algiers.
Additional: Aboulkacem was in the company of Nourredine Guittoune, the owner, manager and editorinchief of "L'Indépendant", when at least three gunmen took six shots at them. Aboulkacem died immediately, but Guittoune, who was wounded in the shoulder and abdomen, managed to play dead until the shooting stopped. Guittoune had written a stinging editorial against Islamic fundamentalist rebels which was published the next day.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 3.
name: Abdallah Bouhachek
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Révolution et Travail
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 10/02/96
age: 44
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Abdallah Bouhachek, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Révolution et Travail", was assassinated by gunmen in Blida as he went to the bus stop to go to work at his paper in Algiers.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 4.
name: Allaoua Aït Mebarek
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Le Soir d'Algérie
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 11/02/96
age: 40
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Mebarek, editor-in-chief of Le Soir d'Algérie was killed in a bomb explosion, on 11 February, which destroyed the paper's offices in the Maison de la Presse. The bomb exploded in the street outside killing 18 people including 3 journalists. The attack came only hours after the government had introduced strict censorship rules on security information.
Additional: The offices of three other independent dailies in the same building, "Le Matin", "L'Opinion" and "Echibek" were also damaged in the attack.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 5.
name: Mohamed Dorbane
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Le Soir d'Algérie
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 12/02/96
age: 40
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Dorbane, a senior journalist with "Le Soir d'Algérie" died in the bomb explosion which destroyed the offices of Le Soir in the Maison de la Presse. The bomb exploded in the street outside killing 18 people including 3 journalists. The attack came only hours after the government had introduced strict censorship rules on security information.
Additional: The offices of three other independent dailies in the same building, "Le Matin", "L'Opinion" and "Echibek" were also damaged in the attack.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 6.
name: Djamel Deraza
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Le Soir d'Algérie
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 11/02/96
age: 33
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Deraza, a freelance with "Le Soir d'Algérie" died in the bomb explosion which destroyed the offices of Le Soir in the Maison de la Presse. The bomb exploded in the street outside killing 18 people including 3 journalists. The attack came only hours after the government had introduced strict censorship rules on security information.
Additional: The offices of three other independent dailies in the same building, "Le Matin", "L'Opinion" and "Echibek" were also damaged in the attack.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 7.
name: Djillali Arabdiou
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Algérie Actualité
sector: PHOTOGRAPHY
type: KILLED
date: 12/03/96
age: 61
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Arabdiou, a photographer with the weekly "Algérie Actualité", was killed in front of his house in AinNaadja on 12/03/1996.
Additional: Arabdiou was shot with an automatic pistol equipped with a silencer. He died immediately. Arabdiou was a wellrespected photographer who started his career in the sixties with the daily "El Moudjahid" At the time of his death he was involved in social welfare activities and union work.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 8.
name: Mohamed Kessab
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Radio Koran
sector: RADIO
type: KILLED
date: 11/08/96
age: 34
source: IFJ Algiers
description: On 11/08/1996, Kessab, a journalist with the religious program "Radio Koran" on the staterun national radio and formerly a contributor to "Radio Mitijida", a local Algiers radio station, was assassinated by an unidentified group of armed men in the hills above Algiers.
Additional: Kessab and two of his brothers were driving in an Algiers suburb, apparently on the way to their family home in the nearby Bouscoul area, when their car was taken under fire. One of Kessab's brothers, a policeman and possibly the target of the attack, was also killed; the other was seriously wounded. Kessab was married and the father of three chidren.
Country: ANGOLA
CASENR: 9.
name: Antonio Casemero
nationality: Angolan
newsorgan: Angolan Popular Television
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLED
date: 30/10/96
age: 34
source: MISA
description: On 30/10/1996, Casemero, a journalist working for the staterun Angolan Popular Television, was murdered by four unidentified gunmen.
Additional: The murder took place in the journalist's home in Cabinda. No arrests have been made in the case. No motive for the murder was established, but, according to MISA, informed sources in Angola said that Casemero had quarrelled with a government official two weeks before he was killed.
Country: BANGLADESH
CASENR: 10.
name: Mohamed Quaruzzaman
nationality: Bangladeshi
newsorgan: Neel Sagar
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 19/02/96
age: ?
source: RSF
description: Quaruzzaman, a journalist with the weekly newspaper "Neel Sagar" was shot by police at a demonstration in Nilphamaria on 19/02/1996.
Additional: He died immediately. After they shot him, police reportedly kicked him and hit him with their rifles. Later they took away Quaruzzaman's body and refused to hand it over to relatives. The demonstration was held against the alleged official results of recent elections, which declared the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as the winner. Apparently Quaruzzaman was shot when police opened fire on supporters of a dissident candidate for the BNP.
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Country: CAMBODIA
CASENR: 11.
name: Thun Bun Ly
nationality: Cambodian
newsorgan: Odom K'tek Khmer
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 18/05/96
age: 39
source: MEEA
description: On 18/05/1996, Ly, editor of the newspaper "Odom K'tek Khmer" (Khmer Ideal) and a member of the opposition party Khmer Nation Party (KNP), was killed with three shots fired at close range as he was riding a motorbike in the capital Phnom Penh.
Additional: The same day, the KPN, which is not recognized by the government, was to open its first office outside the capital. In 1995, Ly was convicted in two separate cases of disinformation and defamation for printing articles, letters to the editor and political cartoons which criticized the government. His newspaper was ordered permanently closed and was suspended for a short period, but was allowed to continue publishing pending appeal to the country' supreme court.
Country: COLOMBIA
CASENR: 12.
name: Norvey Diaz
nationality: Colombian
newsorgan: Radio Colina
sector: RADIO
type: KILLED
date: 18/10/96
age:
source: RSF, FIP
description: On 18/10/1996, Norvey Diaz, director of the program "Rodando por los barrios" on Radio Colina, was killed in Girardot, 135 km from Bogota.
Additional: Diaz had left home to attend a meeting and was last seen alive in the street in the company of a young woman. His body was found with a bullet wound in the nape of his neck and a cigarette butt in his hand. Investigators believed that the murder was carefully planned by professionals. Diaz had received several death threats in the past. His colleagues said that over the past few months, the virulence of Diaz's reports on iregularities in society had lessened. Diaz was soon to have moved to a nonjournalistic post in the company for which he worked.
Country: CYPRUS
CASENR: 13.
name: Kutlu Adali
nationality: Turkish Cypriot
newsorgan: Yeni Duzen
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 06/07/96
age: 61
source: Union of Cyprus Journalists
description: A prominent Turkish Cypriot journalist, Adali, was murdered on the night of 06/07/1996, just outside his house in the Turkish controlled part of Nicosia. Adali was shot from a short distance and died instantly.
Additional: Kutlu Adali, author of seven books with social and political content, and publisher of two weeklies, was for many years a regular columnist with the daily Turkish Cypriot newspaper "Yeni Duzen", organ of the left-wing Republican Turkish Party (CTP). He strongly criticised the regime imposed in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus, by the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Rauf Denktash.
The wife of Kutlu Adali has accused the Grey Wolves, a right-wing terrorist organisation in Turkey, of being responsible for her husband's assassination. The same charge was made by the Turkish Cypriot opposition. Responsibility for the murder of Adali was claimed by the Turkish Revenge Brigade, a little known extreme rightwing group.
Country: GUATEMALA
CASENR: 14.
name: Juan Jose Yantuche
nationality: Guatemalan
newsorgan: TV Noticias
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLED
date: 11/04/96
age: ?
source: RSF
description: On 11/04/1996, Yantuche, a reporter for the television program "TV Noticias", died as a result of his injuries.
Additional: Two weeks before his death, Yantuche had been found injured in his car at the end of a ravine in the city of Mixco. He had been in a coma ever since. A doctor said that one of his lungs was perforated by a bullet and that he had been struck several times in the liver. According to the director of "TV Noticias", police have yet to open an investigation into the case. Apparently, Yantuche's car was not even examined by the police.
Country: GUATEMALA
CASENR: 15.
name: Israel Hernandez Marroquin
nationality: Guatemalan
newsorgan: Infopress Centroamericano
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 12/12/96
age: ?
source: FIP
description: On the night of 11 December 1996, Israel Hernandez Marroquin, a journalist with the weekly "Infopress Centroamericano" as well as a university professor, was murdered in Guatemala City.
Additional: Hernandez's wife and family stated that he had not been the targets of threats nor had he any enemies. For his part, the Coordinator for "Infopress Centroamericano" reported that the murder of Hernandez occurred two weeks after reporter Jilmer Calderon was assaulted and wounded in the head by an unknown assailant.
Country: HONDURAS
CASENR: 16.
name: Cesar Armando Pena
nationality: Honduran
newsorgan: Voice of Honduras
sector: RADIO
type: KILLED
date: 12/01/96
age: ?
source: SITINPRES, FIP
description: On 12/01/1996, Pena, correspondent for the radio station "Voice of Honduras", was shot dead by four men in Ocotepeque in front of a restaurant.
Additional: Three of the assailants, Osmán Jiménez Vásquez, Noel Orlando Matta and Orlando Arita Reyes, were arrested by police on 19/01/96. The fourth killed himself by detonating a grenade. Pena had been investigating car thefts and smuggling in the border region near El Salvador.
Country: INDIA
CASENR: 17.
name: Gulam Rasool Sheikh
nationality: Indian
newsorgan: RehnumaeKashmir / Saffron Times
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 10/04/96
age: 38
source: CPJ, Reuters
description: Sheikh, editor of the Urdu daily "RehnumaeKashmir" and the weekly "Saffron Times", was abducted on 20/03/1996 and found dead in the Jhelum river, south of Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, on 10/04/1996.
Additional: Sheikh had been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen whom his relatives believed to be "renegade militants" backed by the Indian army. However, local police said that he had been abducted and slain by separatist guerrillas. Sheikh had recently spoken out against the increase in killings and arson in the area.
Country: INDIA
CASENR: 18.
name: Parag Kumar Das
nationality: Indian
newsorgan: Asomiya Pratidin
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 17/05/96
age: 35
source: CPJ, Reuters
description: On 17/05/1996, Das, the executive editor of the regional language newspaper "Asomiya Pratidin", was killed by unidentified gunmen in Guwahati in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. His sevenyearold son was also injured in the attack.
Additional: Police said that at least two men fired more than 20 shots at Das at close range as he went to pick up his son from school, hitting him with at least eight bullets. Das was known to be sympathetic towards the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a group of separatist guerrillas. Police suspected that a faction of the ULFA was responsible for the assassination.
Country: INDONESIA
CASENR: 19.
name: Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin
nationality: Indonesian
newsorgan: Bernas
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 16/08/96
age: 33
source: AJI
description: On 16/08/1996, Syafruddin, a journalist with the Yogyakarta daily "Bernas", died of injuries sustained in an attack at his home three days earlier.
Additional: According to his wife, Syafruddin was attacked in his living room by two unidentified visitors, who hit him with a metal stick as his wife was making them tea. The journalist received serious head wounds and stomach injuries. The attackers fled on a motorcycle. Syafruddin was put in intensive care in a Catholic Hostpital in Yogyakarta, but he never regained consciousness.
Days before the attack, Syafruddin had reported on alleged misuse of government funds by government officials, including the Regent of the area. A journalist said that the Regent had been angered by the report and said that he would like to teach Syafruddin "a lesson". Some days before the attack, unidentified people had been looking for him in his office. Syafruddin had two children.
Country: IRELAND
CASENR: 20.
name: Veronica Guerin
nationality: Irish
newsorgan: Sunday Independent
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 27/06/96
age: 36
source: IFJ
description: On 26/06/1996, Veronica Guerin, crime specialist for the "Sunday Independent" newspaper, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle in the streets of Dublin.
Additional: For the past several years, Guerin had specialized in investigations into organized crime in Dublin and drug trafficking. She had recently obtained an interview with the leading mafia chief in Dublin "Mad Dog". Guerin sat in her car at traffic lights on a main road when two men on a motorcycle pulled up alongside and shot her at least five times. Twice before, she had been the target of assassination attempts, but she decided to continue her work. The Irish authorities responded to Guerin's murder with a largescale crackdown on organized crime and planned to revise the country's laws in order to apprehend the killers as well as those who hired them.
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Country: MEXICO
CASENR: 21.
name: Fernando Balderas
nationality: Mexican
newsorgan: Cuarto Poder
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 03/12/96
age: ?
source: FIP
description: On 5 December 1996, Balderas, a journalist with Cuarto Poder, his wife Yolanda Figueroa and their three sons were found dead in their home, in El Pedregal de San Angel. According to statements from the Federal District Prosecutor, it does not seem that theft was the purpose of the attack, it is rather believed to be a revenge attack or some other settling of scores.
Additional: (Reuters, AP, FIP) The assassins entered the house on Tuesday 3 December during the night, killed the family and stole the couple's car. The only survivor is the family's driver who was left seriously injured and the police are waiting before questioning him.
Yolanda Figueroa caused a scandal in Mexico with a book in which she accused the government of postponing the capture of the ringleader of the Cartel Del Golfo, Juan García Abrego, who was later extradited to the United States of America. However, the police said that there was an outstanding warrant for the arrest of Balderas on suspicion of extortion.
Country: MEXICO
CASENR: 22.
name: Yolanda Figueroa
nationality: Mexican
newsorgan:
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 03/12/96
age: ?
source: FIP
description: On 5 December 1996, Figueroa, her husband Fernando Balderas a journalist with Cuarto Poder, and their three sons were found dead in their home, in El Pedregal de San Angel. According to statements from the Federal District Prosecutor, it does not seem that theft was the purpose of the attack, it is rather believed to be a revenge attack or some other settling of scores.
Additional: (Reuters, AP, FIP) The assassins entered the house on Tuesday 3 December during the night, killed the family and stole the couple's car. The only survivor is the family's driver who was left seriously injured and the police are waiting before questioning him.
Yolanda Figueroa caused a scandal in Mexico with a book in which she accused the government of postponing the capture of the ringleader of the Cartel Del Golfo, Juan García Abrego, who was later extradited to the United States of America. However, the police said that there was an outstanding warrant for the arrest of Balderas on suspicion of extortion.
Country: PAKISTAN
CASENR: 23.
name: Zafar Iqbal
nationality: Pakistani
newsorgan: Nawai Banker
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 27/06/96
age: ?
source: RSF
description: On 27/04/1996, Iqbal, the executive director of the Urdulanhuage weekly "Nawai Banker" was shot dead by two unidentified men.
Additional: Iqbal was driving away from the newspaper's office, when the men, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, opened fire and shot him twice in the neck. He died instantly.
Country: PHILIPPINES
CASENR: 24.
name: Ferdinand Reyes
nationality: Philippino
newsorgan: Press Freedom
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 13/02/96
age: ?
source: KAMMPI
description: On the morning of 12/02/1996, Reyes, a human rights worker and editor of the weekly "Press Freedom", was shot dead in his office in Dipolog City on Mindanao island.
Additional: (RSF) Reyes was shot in the back of his head by a single gunman as he was working on his computer. The killer fled on a motorcycle with an accomplice who had stood guard outside. No suspects had been arrested or identified. Reyes' journalism pitted itself against corruption and human rights abuses, especially in regard to the military and the government. On 09/02/1996, he had led a small rally against a new antiterrorism bill.
Country: PHILIPPINES
CASENR: 25.
name: Alberto Berbon
nationality: Philippino
newsorgan: DZMM Radio
sector: RADIO
type: KILLED
date: 16/12/96
age: 45
source: KAMMPI
description: On the evening of 15/12/1996, Berbon, a senior editor at DZMM Radio station of the multimedia network ABSCBN Broadcasting Corporation, was killed by three unidentified gunmen, who shot him several times. His wife was also hit and wounded by a stray bullet.
Additional: The attack took place as Berbon and his wife were talking to relatives in front of their house near Manila. The gunmen got out of a car, shot the journalist then escaped. Police said they could have been hired killers. The assassination may have been related to stories he was doing on drug trafficking and the law.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 26.
name: Felix Solovyov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan:
sector: PHOTOGRAPHY
type: KILLED
date: 27/02/96
age: 62
source: JUR
description: Solovyov, a freelance photojournalist, was shot dead on the evening of 26/02/1996 in central Moscow.
Additional: According to ItarTass news agency, who quoted the Interior Ministry, Solovyov had wounds in the head, chest, and hands. At the scene of the murder, two pistols with silencers and eight cartridge cases were found. The motives for the crime were not known.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 27.
name: Nadezhda Chaikova
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Obshchaya Gazeta
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 12/04/96
age: 33
source: JUR
description: On 11/04/1996, the body of Chaikova, a correspondent for the weekly "Obshchaya Gazeta", was found buried in the Chechen village of Geikhi. She had last been seen by colleagues on or around 20/03/1996.
Additional: Colleagues said that photographs taken before the burial showed that Chaikova had been brutally beaten, blindfolded and then shot in the neck. Examination of the body supported this. She was probably killed on the night of March 30. Chaikova, formerly a Tasscorrespondent, had frequently travelled to Chechnya, often going into the thick of the fighting, and was known for her hardhitting coverage of the war. She had last been seen by colleagues in Sernivodsk, after going on assignment on 06/03/1996.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 28.
name: Anatoly Yagodin
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Na Boevon Postu
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 23/04/96
age: 35
source: JUR
description: Yagodin, a correspondent for the military magazine "Na Boevon Postu", was killed by Chechen militants on 18/04/1996.
Additional: Apparently Yagodin was ambushed near the settlement of Assinovskaya. The journalist was a senior Lieutenant who had served in special forces.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 29.
name: Viktor Pimenov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Vaynakh
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLED
date: 11/03/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: On 11/03/1996, Pimenov, a cameraman for "Vaynakh", was killed by a sniper in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.
Additional: "Vaynakh" is the national Chechen television station, controlled by proMoscow forces. Pimenov was filming the aftermath of the Chechen insurgents' raid on Grozny, when he was shot in the back. The sniper had been hiding on the roof of a 16floor building.
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Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 30.
name: Nina Yefimova
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Vozrozhdeniye
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 10/05/96
age: 25
source: JUR
description: On 09/05/1996, Yefimova, correspondent in Grozny, Chechnya, for the Russianlanguage newspaper "Vozrozhdeniye", distributed in Chechnya, was found dead from a pistol shot in the back of her neck.
Additional: Yefimova and her mother were kidnapped from their apartment on the outskirts of Grozny the night before. Yefimova's body was found in Grozny'z Leninsky District. The body of her 73yearold mother was found in a deserted factory. A police official said that the murder had been committed for private reasons, but journalists believe that it had to do with Yefimova's reports on crime in Chechnya. "Vozrozhdeniye" is owned by the Moscowinstalled government in Chechnya, but is considered to be relatively independent.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 31.
name: Viktor Mikhailov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Zabaikalsky Rabochy
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 14/05/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: On 11/05/1996, Mikhailov, a crime reporter for the leading Siberian daily "Zabaikalsky Rabochy", was killed in broad daylight by unknown assailants.
Additional: Mikhailov's body was found and identified on 13/05/1996. Mikhailov covered crime and law enforcement agencies in Siberia.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 32.
name: Ramzan Khadzhiyev
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Russian Public Television (ORT)
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLED
date: 13/08/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: On 10/08 or 11/08/1996, Khadzhiyev, North Caucasus correspondent for Russian Public Television (ORT), was killed by Russian forces as he and his family tried to flee from Grozny, the Chechen capital.
Additional: Khadzhiyev was among the thousands who fled the city during the siege of Grozny laid by Chechen rebels. He was shot in the head twice as he was driving out of Grozny with his wife and 4yearold son. According to an unidentified male passenger in the journalist's car, the vehicle was waved through a Russian checkpoint after Khadzhiyev, an ethnic Chechen, showed his press identification. Two Russian armored personnel carriers then opened fire on the car. At first, on 13/08/1996, ORT had reported that Khadzhiyev had been killed by Chechen guerillas. Later on that day, NTV, Russia's independent television, broadcast the interview with the unidentified witness. Khadzhiyev was known as a supporter of the Moscowinstalled government in Chechnya.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 33.
name: Sergei Semisotov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Traktir po Pyatnitsam
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 31/10/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: On 31/10/1996, Semisotov, the editorinchief of "Traktir po Pyanitsam" (a Tavern on Friday) was found dead in the southern Russian city of Volgograd. He had been stabbed in the chest.
Additional: Semisotov's body was found in a pedestrian tunnel. Although the killing looked like a robbery the journalist's pockets and briefcase had been emptied and his shoes were stolen police were also investigating other possible motives. Semisotov was wellknown locally for his work on the newspapers "Mig" and "Novaya Gazeta" for which he had earlier worked.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 34.
name: Marina Gorelova
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Otechestvo
sector: TV
type: KILLED
date: 10/11/96
age:
source: JUR
description: Gorelova, a journalist with the private TV station "Otechestvo" (Fatherland) was killed on 10/11/96, along with her colleague Yuri Shmakov, by an explosion in Kotlyakov cemetery in Moscow. The journalists were covering a memorial service in honour of Michael Likhodei, President of the Afghan War Invalids Fund. During the service a powerful explosion was set off and 14 people were killed and more than 50 wounded.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 35.
name: Yuri Shmakov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Otechestvo
sector: TV
type: KILLED
date: 10/11/96
age:
source: JUR
description: Shmakov, a military correspondent with the private TV station "Otechestvo" (Fatherland) was killed on 10/11/96, along with his colleague Marina Gorelova, by an explosion in Kotlyakov cemetery in Moscow. The journalists were covering a memorial service in honour of Michael Likhodei, President of the Afghan War Invalids Fund. During the service a powerful explosion was set off and 14 people were killed and more than 50 wounded.
Country: TAJIKISTAN
CASENR: 36.
name: Viktor Nikulin
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: ORT television
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLED
date: 29/03/96
age: 27
source: JUR
description: Nikulin, correspondent in Tajikistan for Russian state television ORT, was shot dead on 28/03/1996 in his office in Dushanbe.
Additional: Nikulin was killed by two shots in the head fired by unknown gunmen as he answered the door. He had been stationed in Tajikistan for about a year and worked together with his father, also an ORT correspondent. Nikulin had a wife and two daughters.
Country: TURKEY
CASENR: 37.
name: Metin Goktepe
nationality: Turkish
newsorgan: Evrensel
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 09/01/96
age: 27
source: PJA
description: Goktepe, journalist for the leftwing daily "Evrensel" was found dead in or near a gymnasium in Istanbul on 08/01/1996.
Additional: Goktepe was covering the funeral of two militant leftists killed in a prison clash when, according to witnesses, he was detained along with many others in Eyup Gymnasium by the police for an identity check. Apparently Goktepe was separated from the others and beaten. Initially, police said that he had died after being released, but later on they denied altogether that he had been in the gymnasium. Witnesses who had seen his body said that his head had marks from blows. Journalists' associations, human rights' groups and "Evrensel" accused the police of beating the journalist to death and demanded an official investigation. On 10/01/1996, the official autopsy report showed that Goktepe's body was found in the gymnasium and that he had died from brain haemorrage brought on by beatings to the head. The interior ministry ordered an investigation. Thousands of mourners, protesting against police brutality and accusing the police of murder, attended Goktepe's funeral on 11/01/1996.
The Parliamentary Commission, after the investigation reached the conlusion that Goktepe was beaten to death by police in detention. The Commission concluded that the police must be trained in order to prevent such cases.
On 08/02/96 it was announced that 48 police officers were to go on trial for the murder of Goktepe.
The court asked the High Court to transfer the trial to another city for security reasons. The High Court transferred the trial to Aydin, a province far from Istanbul to the south.
The first trial in Aydin was to be held in a court building but due to the number of spectators it was transferred to a gymnasium. However, the Aydin court also asked the High Court to transfer the trial to another city for security reasons. The trial was transferred to Afyon.
The trial in Afyon is scheduled for 6 February 1997 at 14.30h at the City Gymnasium, Afyon. In total, 48 policemen will be brought before the court. Eleven of them are charged directly with beating Goktepe to death and 37 others are charged with beating other detainees in the same case.
Most of the media and non-governmental organisations have declared that the reasons given for transferring the trial from Istanbul to another city are not reasonable and rational. They have said that the main aim of transferring the trial is to remove the trial from public gaze. The transfer makes it difficult for Goktepe's lawyers, the accused police officers and other groups to attend. The transfer has also caused considerable delay in the judicial process of this case.
Country: UKRAINE
CASENR: 38.
name: Igor Grouchetsky
nationality: Ukrainian
newsorgan: UkraineCentre
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 13/05/96
age: ?
source: RSF
description: On 10/05/1996, freelance journalist Grouchetsky was found dead in a street near his home in the city of Tcherkassy, southwest of Kiev.
Additional: Grouchetsky had a severe headwound. Apparently, the journalist was wellknown for his reporting on crime and corruption.
Grouchetsky had been the Tcherkassy correspondent for the Kiev Newspaper "UkraineCentre". Shortly before his death he had reportedly said that he had given testimony in a criminal court case involving among others the son of a high ranking police official. Apparently police found two files in Grouchetsky's home which contained criminal information belonging to the police.
Number of Incidents: 38
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Cases of Mediaworkers killed
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 1.
name: Naima Illoul
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: ENTV
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLEDMW
date: 11/02/96
age: 26
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Illoul, a technician for Algerian state-run television, was wounded when a car bomb exploded outside the Maison de la Presse in Algiers on 11/02/1996 and died the night after.
Additional: Illoul was among the eighteen people killed in the explosion, three of them journalists.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 2.
name: Achour Belghezli
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: PR Company
sector: ?
type: KILLEDMW
date: 17/02/96
age: 40
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Belghezli, a journalist and manager of a PR firm, was killed on 17/02/1996 by four gunmen. His assistant, 25 year-old Dalila Drideche, was also killed.
Additional: The murders took place inside Belghezli's office in Tizi Ouzou, a town 100 km southeast of Algiers.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 3.
name: Dalila Drideche
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: PR Company
sector: ?
type: KILLEDMW
date: 17/02/96
age: 25
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Drideche, assistant to Achour Belghezli, a journalist and manager of a PR firm, was killed alongsied Belghezli on 17/02/1996 by four gunmen.
Additional: The murders took place inside Belghezli's office in Tizi Ouzou, a town 100 km southeast of Algiers.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 4.
name: Belkacem Saadi
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: ENTV
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLEDMW
date: 02/03/96
age: 40
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Saadi, director of the photographic unit of Algeria's state television network ENTV in Skikda in eastern Algeria, was killed on 02/03/1996.
Additional: Saadi had been kidnapped by gunmen. His body was found mutilated in a forest in Skikda.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 5.
name: Djamel Bouchibi
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: El Moudjahid
sector: PRESS
type: KILLEDMW
date: 24/04/96
age: 46
source: IFJ Algiers
description: Bouchibi, the director of a medical clinic for employees of "El Moudjahid", was killed by a group of armed men on 24/04/1996.
Additional: (Reuters, AP) The armed men stormed Bouchibi's home, then shot him and slit his throat. His wife was looking on. Bouchibi had just taken up his job again after taking a year off because of death threats. He was the sixth staff member of "El Moudjahid" to get killed.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 6.
name: Farida Bouziane
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan:
sector: PRESS
type: KILLEDMW
date: 23/07/96
age: 24
source: IFJ Algiers
description: On 23/07/1996, Bouziane, who worked for a local newspaper in Tizi Ouzou, was killed by unidentified gunmen who shot her in the head.
Additional: Bouziane was killed in a car east of Algiers, while her father sat beside her.
Country: ALGERIA
CASENR: 7.
name: Hamoui Mokran
nationality: Algerian
newsorgan: Echourouk al-Arabi
sector: PRESS
type: KILLEDMW
date: 15/10/96
age: 43
source: IFJ Algiers
description: On 15/10/96, Mokran, an administrative director for the weekly Echourouk al-Arabi, was gunned down by unknown assailants while leaving his car in the suburb of Jolie Vue near Kouba. Noone claimed responsibility for the killing.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 8.
name: Oleg Slabynko
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Channel 2
sector: TELEVISION
type: KILLEDMW
date: 26/01/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: Slabynko, producer of the popular television talk show "Moment of Truth", broadcast on Russian television Channel 2, was shot dead in his apartment by two men on 25/01/1996.
Additional: Slabynko was shot several time at close range. "Moment of Truth is an independent program specializing in off-beat political interviews.
Country: THAILAND
CASENR: 9.
name: Sangchai Sunthornvut
nationality: Thai
newsorgan: MCOT, Thai Rath
sector: -
type: KILLEDMW
date: 12/04/96
age: 53
source: Reuters
description: Sangchai, director general of the Mass Communication Organization of Thailand (MCOT), Thailand's state-owned broadcast agency, and a columnist for the newspaper Thai Rath, was shot dead in Bangkok on 11/04/1996.
Additional: As he was driving out of a hotel with his wife, an unidentified gunman shot him once from the side of the car and then fled on a motorcycle with an accomplice. Sangchai was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. The MCOT operates Thailand Channel 9 television and the Thai news agency.
16/04/1996, (CPJ): A motive for the killing was unclear, but local press speculated that it might have been ordered by persons with business interests in music video programs recently cancelled by Sangchai.
24/06/1996 (Reuter)s: On 24/06/1996, Ubol Boonyachalothorn, a former member of the Thai government, was arrested on charges of masterminding the murder of Sanchai. The gunmen and three collaborators were arrested earlier, and convicted of first degree murder and jailed for more than 25 years. They had implicated Ubol and her son-in-law, also a former MP, who was arrested the month before.
Number of Incidents: 9
Top
Cases Under Investigation
Country: MEXICO
CASENR: 1.
name: Edgar Mason Villalobos
nationality: Mexican
newsorgan: El Financiero
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 13/12/96
age: 43
source: IAPA
description: On 28/11/96, Villalobos, and economist and correspondent for, among others, the daily "El Financiero", was murdered at his home in Cuernacava.
Additional: Villalobos was shot in the head with a .38 calibre pistol. Villalobos also worked for the radio program "Usted que Opina".
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 2.
name: Alexander Zaitsev
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Forward
sector: TV
type: KILLEDMW
date: 08/02/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: On 08/02/96, Zaitsev, director of cable television "Forward" was shot dead in a car in the town of Dalnegorst, in the Primorski Region, along with Yuri Litinov, commercial director of the company.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 3.
name: Yuri Litvinov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Forward
sector: TV
type: KILLEDMW
date: 08/02/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: On 08/0296, Litinov, commercial director of cable television "Forward" was shot dead in a car in the town of Dalnegorst, in the Primorski Region, along with Alexander Zaitsev director of the company was shot in the car with him.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 4.
name: Nikita Chigarkov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Morning Express (VGRTC)
sector: TV
type: KILLED
date: 26/07/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: Chigarkov, computer artist and journalist at Russian State Broadcasting Company, was severely beaten and robbed by unknown assailants at the entrance to his apartment house in Moscow on 26/07/96. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 5.
name: Kim En Chan
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Blagodatnaya Semya
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 19/19/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: Chan, correspondent of the newspaper and magazine "Blagodatnaya Semya" was stabbed to death in Moscow on 19/09/96.
Country: RUSSIA
CASENR: 6.
name: Anatoly Belousov
nationality: Russian
newsorgan: Krasnaya Zuezda
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 07/12/96
age: ?
source: JUR
description: Belousov, deputy chief editor of the daily "Krasnaya Zuezda" was beaten by unknown assailants at the entrance to his apartment in Moscow on 03/12/96. He lost consciousness and died in hospital on 07/12/96.
Country: SPAIN
CASENR: 7.
name: Xavier Bernard Gautier
nationality: French
newsorgan: Le Figaro
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 19/05/96
age: 35
source: Le Figaro
description: On 19/05/1996, Gautier, a journalist working for the French daily "Le Figaro", was found hanged in a house on the Spanish island Menorca.
Additional: (AP) Official sources said Gautier had committed suicide, but according to "El Pais", a Spanish daily, his friends and family considered the death as a case of murder. Gautier was found with his hands tied and a blue cross painted on his shirt. The words "traitor" and "red devil" were scrawled on the walls. According to "El Pais", Gautier had been working on a story about the war in Bosnia and illegal arms sales.
Country: SUDAN
CASENR: 8.
name: Yasser Mustafa Saeed
nationality: Sudanese
newsorgan: ?
sector: RADIO/TV
type: KILLED
date: 09/01/96
age: ?
source: Reuter
description: Saeed, a popular sports commentator, was shot dead at dawn on 08/01/1996 at his home in Banat.
Additional: Gunmen broke into the house of Saeed, popularly known as "Castro", and shot him in front of his wife and children. According to the independent newspaper "Akhbar alYoum", which reported the shooting, a pistol with a silencer was used. The paper gave no motive for the crime.
Country: TURKEY
CASENR: 9.
name: Selahattin Daloglu
nationality: Turkish
newsorgan: ?
sector: PRESS?
type: KILLED
date: 29/11/96
age: 63
source: PJA
description: Reportedly, the body of journalist Daloglu was found on 08/09/1996. He had apparently been murdered.
Additional: Daloglu was a retired journalist who lived alone. The evidence shows that he was first strangled and then hydrochloric acid was poured on his body, and finally the murderer tried to dismember the body. So far, police have no motive for the killing.
Country: USA
CASENR: 10.
name: Michael Taylor
nationality: United States
newsorgan: KPFKFM
sector: RADIO
type: KILLED
date: 23/04/96
age: 45
source: AP
description: On 23/04/1996, Taylor, a reporter and programmer for the small public radio station KPFKFM, in North Hollywood, was found dead along railroad tracks in South Central Los Angeles. He had been tied up and was shot several times.
Additional: Taylor, who had once been homeless himself, reported and produced stories on homelessness and black, urban and civil rights issues. Because of Taylor's political activism, police did not rule out the possibility that the murder was connected with Taylor's reporting and political activities.
Country: UZBEKISTAN
CASENR: 11.
name: Sergei Grebenyuk
nationality: Russian?
newsorgan: Interfax
sector: PRESS
type: KILLED
date: 09/02/96
age: ?
source: CPJ
description: The body of Grebenyuk, a journalist reporting on Uzbekistan for the Russian independent news service "Interfax", was found in a canal in the city of Tashkent on 08/02/1996.
Additional: The Uzbek Ministry of the Interior stated that the exact cause of the journalist's death remains unknown. He had last been seen alive at his brother's home on 27/01/1996, near the place where the body was found.
(WiPC) 26/02/1996: According to an official of the Uzbek embassy in London, Grebenyuk's death was unlikely to have been related to his profession. It seems that a gang of car thieves had been active in Tashkent over the preceding six months, killing about 22 people in their cars and dumping the bodies in canals. Three leaders of the gang had only recently been arrested. Grebenyuk could well be one of their victims.
Number of Incidents: 11
Top
Sources
FIP = IFJ Latin America Office, Caracas
IFJ Algiers = IFJ Algeria Centre for Media Solidarity, Algiers
AJA = Association des journalistes algériens - IFJ member
AJI = Alliance of Independent Journalists (Indonesia) - IFJ member
CPJ = Committee to Protect Journalists, USA
IAPA = Inter American Press Association
IPI = International Press Institute, Vienna
JUR = Journalists Union of Russia - IFJ member
KAMMPI = Federation of Mediaworkers of the Philippines
MEAA = Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance (Australia) - IFJ Member
MISA = Media Institute of Southern Africa, Zambia
PJA = Progressive Journalists Association (Turkey) - IFJ member
PPK = Pakistan Press Foundation
RSF = Reporters Sans Frontières, France
SITINPRES = Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Prensa y Similares (Honduras) - IFJ member
TNG = The Newspaper Guild (USA) - IFJ member
WiPC = Writers in Prison Committee, UK
Wire Services
AFP
UPI
AP
EFE
DPA
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