Bangladesh was ranked 11th in the Impunity Index of Committee to Protect Journalists for 2011, as in the previous year, with the murders cases of five journalists remaining unsolved for years.
The position remained unchanged for two successive years but the rating improved slightly with another year passing without any fresh unnatural death of journalist, said the report of the US based organisation.
But the rating improved this year to 0.031 compared to previous year's 0.044.
According to the CPJ's 2011 Impunity Index, posted on its website on June 1, Iraq topped among 13 countries with 92 unsolved cases and a rating of 2.921.
The other 12 countries chronologically are Somalia with 10 unsolved cases with a rating of1.099, the Philippines with 56 unsolved cases and a rating of 0.609, Sri Lanka- 9 cases with 0.443 rating, Colombia- 11 cases with 0.241 rating, Afghanistan- 7 cases and 0.235 rating, Nepal- 6 cases with 0.205, Mexico-13 cases with 0.121 rating, Russia-16 cases with 0.113 rating, Pakistan- 14 cases with 0.082 rating, Bangladesh- 5 cases with 0.031 rating, Brazil- 5 cases with 0.026 rating and India- 7 cases and 0.006 ratings.
The index, which calculates unsolved journalist murders in percentage of each country's population, found conditions in Bangladesh had slightly improved while it worsened in Iraq, a country with a rating far worse than anywhere else in the world.
The index showed that deadly anti-press violence continued to climb in Mexico, where authorities appear powerless in bringing the killers to justice.
The CPJ report shows that from Somalia to Mexico, journalists avoid sensitive topics, leave the profession, or flee their homeland to escape violent retribution.
CPJ's annual Impunity Index, first published in 2008, identified countries where journalists are murdered regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes.
For its latest index, CPJ examined unsolved murders of journalists that occurred from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2010.
Only 13 nations with five or more unsolved cases are included on the index.
Cases are considered unsolved when no convictions have been obtained.
According to the CPJ, impunity is a key indicator in assessing levels of press freedom and free expression in nations worldwide.
CPJ research shows that deadly, unpunished violence against journalists often leads to vast self-censorship in the rest of the press corps.
Source : New Age
