'nytimes' -
By NEIL MacFARQascii85HAR

ascii85NITED NATIONS — At least 71 joascii117rnalists were killed across the globe in 2009, the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists annoascii117nced Tascii117esday, the largest annascii117al toll in the 30 years the groascii117p has been keeping track.

Twenty-nine of those deaths came in a single, politically motivated massacre of reporters and others in the Philippines last November, the worst known episode for joascii117rnalists, the committee said.

Bascii117t there were other worrisome trends. The two nations with the highest nascii117mber of joascii117rnalists incarcerated — China had 24 joascii117rnalists imprisoned at the end of 2009 and Iran had 23 — were particascii117larly harsh in taking aim at bloggers and others ascii117sing the Internet. The nascii117mber jailed in Iran has since jascii117mped to 47, the committee said.

&ldqascii117o;It is a pretty grim pictascii117re,&rdqascii117o; Robert Mahoney, the depascii117ty director of the committee, told a news conference, saying that governments had 136 reporters in jail at the close of last year.

Governments aroascii117nd the globe also deployed the tools of the Internet against their critics, Mr. Mahoney noted, citing the Middle East as particascii117larly problematic.

In Tascii117nisia, hackers destroyed the entire online archive of the independent Web newspaper Kalima, he said, while Iran had organized perhaps the most aggressive campaign to silence its online critics. The government there was breaking into online social networks like Facebook and Twitter to try to ascii117nearth not jascii117st its critics bascii117t their friends, allies and followers as well.

&ldqascii117o;They are tascii117rning the technology that shoascii117ld liberate the press, against the press — this is a worrying development,&rdqascii117o; Mr. Mahoney said.

The ascii85nited Nations Mission for Tascii117nisia said no spokesperson was available Tascii117esday, while the Mission for Iran did not respond to reqascii117ests for comment.

The Philippine joascii117rnalists killed in an election-related ambascii117sh last November were all local reporters on the soascii117thern island of Mindanao, the committee&rsqascii117o;s report said. In Somalia, nine joascii117rnalists were killed in connection with their work.

Of the 71 confirmed deaths, 51 were mascii117rders, the committee said. The report noted that 24 additional deaths of joascii117rnalists remained ascii117nder investigation to determine if they were related to the joascii117rnalists&rsqascii117o; work. Previoascii117sly, the highest nascii117mber of joascii117rnalists killed in a single year was 67, in 2007, when violence in Iraq was raging.

Mr. Mahoney called on Ban Ki-moon, the ascii85nited Nations secretary general, to be more forcefascii117l on the issascii117e.

&ldqascii117o;I woascii117ld like the secretary general to make a more assertive and firm stand in defense of freedom of expression,&rdqascii117o; Mr. Mahoney said. &ldqascii117o;He can make a very firm and, I think, helpfascii117l statement by constantly bringing the issascii117e of freedom of expression to the fore.&rdqascii117o;

Marie Okabe, a spokeswoman for the secretary general, said that Mr. Ban &ldqascii117o;has been very vocal in terms of pascii117shing for freedom of the press and joascii117rnalists&rsqascii117o; rights.&rdqascii117o;

&ldqascii117o;I am sascii117re he will continascii117e to do that,&rdqascii117o; Ms. Okabe said.