The IPI World Press Freedom Review 2006 is the Vienna-based International Press Institute's annual review of press freedom in over 180 countries around the world.

With 100 journalists killed, 2006 was the most savage and brutal year in the history of the modern media. The figure is largely due to the targeting of

local journalists in Iraq, which saw 46 journalists killed.

However, the murder of journalists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Mexico, and Sri Lanka also added to the overall figure.

Forty-eight journalists were killed in the Middle East and North Africa

region.

The murder and kidnapping of local journalists made reporting in

Iraq the most dangerous assignment ever handed to the media. In Lebanon, where one journalist was killed, conflict and civil unrest undermined a

vibrant media. Elsewhere, in Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria, a free press is

almost entirely absent; while in Egypt and Yemen journalists were

prosecuted.

In Europe, where two journalists were killed, the murder of Novaya Gazeta

journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, highlighted the dangers of reporting in

Russia, and questioned the authorities' desire to investigate such crimes.

Since 1997, IPI has recorded the killing of 43 journalists in Russia. The

often-violent controversy over the Danish cartoons depicting the prophet

Mohammed saw journalists arrested and prosecuted; one journalist was

murdered in Sudan reportedly for writing on the subject.

The controversy led to renewed attempts to introduce a "defamation of religions" clause, which appeared in UN documents, including one on terrorism.

In Asia, 29 journalists were killed, ten of them in the Philippines. China

heavily censors Internet activity, aided by international corporations, and

violent assaults on journalists rose with two killings this year. Pakistan

saw four journalists killed and numerous abductions.

The media's struggle in Nepal led to political change, but reforms are still needed. With five journalists murdered, Sri Lanka's violent past is returning.

There were four killings of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa. Restrictive

laws suffocated the media in Zimbabwe; while the prosecution of journalists in Ethiopia has almost silenced independent journalism. Severe media problems exist in the Gambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo where one journalist was killed; there were also police raids on media outlets in Kenya and Nigeria. In the Australasian and Oceanic region, the coup in Fiji highlighted the fragility of press freedom.

In the Americas, 17 journalists were killed, including two in the Caribbean.

Mexico, with seven journalists killed, remains the region's most dangerous

country and Cuba, with 25 journalists imprisoned, is the biggest jailer.

There were two deaths in Venezuela, where the government is undermining

private media, particularly broadcasting. In the United States, a series of

criminal cases involving protection of journalists' sources reinforced calls

for a federal shield law.

In Colombia, three journalists were killed for reporting on various issues.

The Nation