Pakistan journalist Shan Odhor has become the first media worker to die in 2014 because of his work, the International federation of Journalists (IFJ) said today.
The announcement came just days after the organisation reported that 108 journalists were killed in targeted attacks in 2013, while 15 died accidentally in the course of their work during the same period.
The IFJ called on authorities in Pakistan to carry out an immediate investigation into the murder of Shan Odhor, who was killed in the Badha area of the country's Larkana district.
According to reports, Odhor, a senior reporter for the Aaab Tak News Channel, was shot by unidentified assailants on his way home on Tuesday, New year's Eve.
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He was taken to hospital with critical injuries and died in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Following Odhor's death, a series of protests led by IFJ affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), have been held by journalists across Pakistan to call for the government to step up its efforts to protect the safety of journalists in the country.
IFJ President Jim Boumelha said: "We express our deepest sympathies with the family and colleagues of the highly respected journalist Shan Odhor, who we believe is the first journalist to be killed in 2014.
"We call for authorities in Pakistan to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into his murder and to take every step necessary to ensure that the perpetrators of this horrific crime face the full weight of justice."
According to the IFJ, Pakistan was the third deadliest country in the world to work as a journalist last year – with 10 killed in targeted attacks. Only Syria and Iraq were more dangerous for journalists.
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