The index looks at unsolved murders of journalists - in countries where attacks on journalists mostly go unpunished - as a percentage of the country’s population.
Sri Lanka has moved to sixth place from fourth in this year's index. The index cites that the improvement is not due to the 'prosecutions' but due 'to the fact that no journalists have been murdered for their work since the end of civil war in 2009'.
Somalia, Iraq and Syria are placed first, second and third in the list respectively. In addition, Pakistan is at No 09 while India is at No. 14.
The CPJ report says the follows on Sri Lanka:
6 Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka moved to sixth place from fourth on this year's Index, its improvement due not to prosecutions-the island nation still maintains a perfect record of impunity in journalist slayings-but to the fact that no journalists have been murdered for their work since the end of civil war in 2009. So far, President Maithripala Sirisena, inaugurated in January this year, has demonstrated greater political will for justice than his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa, under whose leadership nine media murders, including the five from this index period, took place. In May, Sirisena pledged to reopen the investigations into journalists killed or disappeared during the last 30 years, naming the assassination of prominent editor Lasantha Wickramatunga and the disappearance of cartoonist Prageeth Eknelygoda as priority cases. Since then, at least seven army officers have been arrested in connection with Eknelygoda's case. Wickramatunga's and all other killings remain unsolved.
