Russian Remembrance Day Of Journalists Killed In Line Of Duty

The Remembrance Day of Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty is observed in Russia on December 15

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th December, 2018) The Remembrance Day of Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty is observed in Russia on December 15.

The Remembrance Day in memory of journalists who died while performing their professional duties was established in 1991 by the decision of the Russian Union of Journalists.

Relatives and colleagues of slain journalists for the first time gathered on December 11, 1991, to honor the memory of those who lost their lives for the sake of freedom of speech. This happened after a Russian television correspondent, Viktor Nogin, and cameraman Gennady Kurennoy died in the former Yugoslavia in September 1991. The investigation revealed that the journalists' car came under fire from Serbian militants.

In recent years, Russia has been commemorating the day on December 15.

According to the international non-governmental organization Committee to Protect Journalists, 66 journalists died in 2017 worldwide. The most dangerous countries for journalists used to be Mexico, Syria and Iraq, where nine people died.

In 2018, 71 journalists died, according to the figures from December 13, 2018. The deadliest countries are Afghanistan with 14 killed, Mexico and Syria with nine journalist killed in each country, Yemen with six, the United States and India with five, respectively.

The most tragic year for the Russian journalistic community was 2014.

Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency special photo correspondent Andrei Stenin, Channel One cameraman Anatoly Klyan, Rossiya broadcaster's correspondent Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin were killed in the southeastern Ukraine in 2014 while performing their professional duties. All of them were posthumously awarded the Order of Courage in Russia.

The Names of Russian journalists Vladislav Listyev, Dmitry Kholodov, Larisa Yudina, Anna Politkovskaya, Natalia Estemirova, Anastasia Baburova, and many others who died at the hands of criminals will always be remembered.

All Russian regions hold remembering evenings on December 15. Families of journalists killed in the line of professional duty gather in Moscow to honor their memory on the same day. In addition to moral support, affected families receive financial assistance.

Meetings and conferences, which are attended by journalists from different countries, are held in memory of the journalists who gave their lives in the name of freedom of speech. The leading Russian mass media outlets established various contests and awards, including the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest (the only international platform for young photographers in Russia) and the Kamerton Award, named after Anna Politkovskaya (for achievements in the field of protection of human rights and freedom of the press).