**03.04.2013. PEC report for the first 3 months of 2013: 28 journalists killed in 15 countries // rapport de la PEC pour les trois premiers mois de 2013: 28 journalistes tués dans 15 pays // desde el primero de enero, 28 periodistas fueron asesinados en 15 países (English, French, Spanish, Arabic)

Number of journalists killed down by near 10 percent in 3 months

Geneva, April 3 (PEC) – According to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) quarterly report for 2013 published Wednesday the number of journalists killed in the first three months of the year, 28 in 15 countries, has gone down to near 10 percent as compared with the same period last year.

Pakistan leads the tally with 7 journalists killed in three months, followed by Syria 4 killed, Somalia 3 killed and three in Brazil.

One journalist was killed in the following countries: Guatemala, India, Haiti, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Central African Republic, Tanzania and Yemen.

The difference between 2012 and 2013 is that in Syria 5 journalists less were killed in 2013.

PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen noted that unfortunately this improved statistics does not reflect a better security situation in the field for the media, but could be traced to less journalists taking the risk to go to Syria to witness the ongoing violence. Lempen adds that Syria is in agony in a massive indifference.

The latest from Syria is that Jörg Armbruster, a correspondent for the German public broadcaster ARD, was seriously injured by gunfire during a military clash in Aleppo on March 29, 2013. After emergency surgery inside Syria on the same day, Armbruster was transferred by ambulance to Turkey, where he was treated by an emergency medical team, he was evacuated to Stuttgart on Monday April 1.

The situation in Pakistan has deteriorated from one year to the other. Three of the killed journalists lost their lives in a bomb attack in Baluchistan and the others were targeted in the tribal zones where they are particularly threatened by secessionist groups and extreme militants.

The situation remained dangerous in Somalia and Brazil. They still are in the group of the four most dangerous countries for media work as they were last year.

PEC President Hedayat Abdelnabi, said that though this decrease is welcome yet a lot has to be done. The PEC reiterates its call to UN member states to start the process of negotiations on new binding guidelines to protect journalists in conflict zones and dangerous situations. Last year, journalists were killed in a record number, 141 for the whole year.