Brazil 99th on Press Freedom Index

Brazil ranks 99th on the Press Freedom Index, a list that covers 180 nations, compiled by the French NGO Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and published Thursday (Feb 12). The country's new status represents a jump of 12 positions from 2013, when it occupied the 111th place.

In its report on Brazil, RWB notes the nation is no longer called the deadliest western country for journalists—an epithet now used in reference to 148th place Mexico. Last year, two journalists were murdered in Brazil for work-related reasons, whereas three were killed under these circumstances in Mexican territory.

The Paris-based organization says that Brazil “became a pioneering country in the protection of online civil rights after the adoption of the Marco Civil law.” RWB further remarks, however, that the safety of journalists and the concentration of media ownership in the hands of a few are still among the biggest problems.

The best-ranking country in South America in Uruguay, in the 23rd position, followed by Suriname (29th), Chile (43rd), Argentina (57th), Guiana (62nd), Peru (92nd), Bolivia (94th), and Brasil (99th). Next come Ecuador (108th), Paraguay (109th), Colombia (128th), and Venezuela (137th).

According to RWB, 69 journalists were murdered all over the world in 2014, ten fewer than in 2013. In 2015, in January alone, 13 journalists were killed in crimes directly related to their professional activities: eight in France, from the magazine Charlie Hebdo, and five in South Sudan.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira