In 2013, 71 journalists were killed in connection with their work, some 20% fewer deaths than the year before, according to the Paris-based press freedom body, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

But there was a 129% increase in abductions, says the RSF report, and the overall level of violations continued to be high.

The regions with the largest numbers of journalists killed in connection with their work were Asia (with 24) and the Middle East and north Africa (with 23).

Syria, Somalia and Pakistan retained their position among the world's five deadliest countries for the media. They were joined by India and the Philippines, which replaced Mexico and Brazil, although the number of journalists killed in Brazil, five, was the same as last year.

Almost 40% of the deaths occurred in conflicts zones, defined as Syria, Somalia, Mali, the Indian province of Chhattisgarh, the Pakistani province of Balochistan and the Russian republic of Dagestan.

The other journalists were killed in bombings, by armed groups linked to organised crime (including drug trafficking), by Islamist militias, by police or other security forces, or on the orders of corrupt officials. The overwhelming majority of the victims (96%) were men.

The fall in 2013 was also offset by an increase in physical attacks and threats by security forces and non-state actors (militias and rebel groups).

There was a big increase in the number of journalists kidnapped (from 38 in 2012 to 87 in 2013). Most of the cases were in the Middle East and north Africa (71) followed by sub-Saharan Africa (11).

In 2013, 49 journalists were kidnapped in Syria and 14 in Libya. Abductions gained pace in Syria in 2013 and became more and more systematic in nature, deterring many reporters from going into the field.

Christophe Deloire, RSF's secretary-general, said: "Combatting impunity must be a priority for the international community, given that we are just days away from the seventh anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1738 on the safety of journalists and that there have been new international resolutions on the protection of journalists."

NB: The RSF report says that "at least 178 journalists are in prison", a different figure from that of the Committee to Protect Journalists' census (see earlier posting).

The difference is explained by the two organisations using separate definitions of what constitutes a journalist and the specific criterion applied by RSF in which it has to be assured about the killing being related to the victim's work.

Source and full report: Reporters Without Borders