Killed in pursuit of the truth

Brussels - (Reuters) At least 50 journalists were killed while on assignment in 1996, the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists said yesterday.

The IFJ, which says it is the world's largest journalists' organisation, urged employers and governments to play a more active role in protecting and supporting those journalists at risk.

In 1995, more than 60 journalists were killed, against 115 in 1994, more than half of the deaths occurring in Rwanda and Algeria.

Separately, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency said that 24 journalists were killed in Russia and the rest of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) this year, bringing the toll to 130 since the Soviet Union fell apart. Many were killed in Chechnya.