Our Man in Tokyo highlighted the death of journalist, Kenji Nagai, in Burma this week. Initial media reports suggested he was a victim of a stray bullet in the riots in Rangoon. Further information has emerged that suggests he was shot at point blank range whilst still attempting to photograph the demonstrations and the government’s crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. It brings the number of journalists killed in 2007 to 35.

Growing up with a journalist as a father and now having one as a girlfriend I’ve always been incredibly angry about how journalists and writers are so frequently persecuted, tortured, imprisoned and murdered. Destruction of a free press, the silencing of opposing voices and hiding the truth are always one of the first steps taken by any regime or government that wants to oppress its people. Journalists, both foreign and domestic, in many countries have borne the brunt of this sort of persecution and danger. Too many journalists die unknown and unremembered or are disappeared as an inconvenience. Sadly, this trend seems to be getting worse and worse.