Iraq has most unsolved journalists' murders: CPJ

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iraq has the worst record for failing to solve murders of journalists but some countries at peace such as the Philippines, Mexico and India also scored poorly, a journalism watchdog said on Wednesday.

There are 79 cases of unsolved murders of journalists in Iraq, where most journalists killed have been targeted because of their work, not caught in crossfire, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a report released at the United Nations.

The CPJ worked out its "Impunity Index" by compiling the number of unsolved journalist murder cases between 1998 and 2007 and dividing it by the size of a country's population.

Iraq became the world's most dangerous country for the press after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein and sparked insurgency and sectarian strife, the CPJ said. Most of the victims have been Iraqis.

Second on the index, compiled by the CPJ for the first time, is the West African state of Sierra Leone, where an 11-year civil war ended in 2002. Nine journalist murders remain unsolved, including one dating from 2005.

Third is Somalia, which has been in turmoil for the past 17 years and has five unsolved murder cases.

The report noted most countries on its index are democratic, not at war and have functioning law enforcement systems. "Yet journalists are regularly targeted for murder and no one is held accountable," the CPJ said.

PHILIPPINES "DEADLY" FOR JOURNALISTS