At least one media worker was killed, and many more injured on Friday in Pakistan, during a national day of protests against “Innocence of Muslims“, a film ridiculing the Prophet Mohammed. IPI strongly condemns the violence directed at the media during several days of demonstrations against the film, which culminated on the “Love of Mohammed“ public holiday last Friday, as many cities descended into chaos.

IPI board member Owais Ali said: “The death of one media worker, and injury to many journalists, points to the need for safety training to media workers, provision of safety gear and development of protocols to safely cover civil disturbances. The need to focus on safety for journalists and media workers will become especially urgent in the weeks and months ahead, as rallies and demonstrations will increase in frequency and intensity in preparation for the elections due in early 2013. Media organisations, political parties and groups as well as police and other security services urgently need to develop protocols to ensure that media can cover demonstrations, rallies and protests safely.”

Muhammad Aamir Liaqat, a driver for ARY News, an online news portal, was hit by a bullet in the chest when police opened fire on protesters outside a cinema in Peshawar, the Pakistan Press Foundation reported on Monday. Liaqat was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

In Hyderabad, a crowd attacked both journalists and policemen outside the Hyderabad Press Club, leaving at least six journalists wounded. The mob blocked all entrances to the club, forcing those inside to escape by climbing over walls. The rally had started peacefully, but suddenly turned violent as more people were gathering outside the building. Protesters had been incensed by what they perceived as too selective a coverage of the demonstrations by the media.

Also in Hyderabad, during an attack on a team from Express News, an Urdu language television channel Based in Lahore, reporter Fruqan Rajput described being hit and kicked while protesters were shouting he deserved such treatment, because of the media’s “association with the enemies of Islam”.

The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) also reported that in Karachi a Samaa TV media crew was attacked and their van set on fire, while other media workers had their equipment damaged to keep them from reporting.

In Lahore, Rai Shahnawaz and Talib Faridi, correspondents for Express News reportedly sustained head injuries after being pelted with stones.

In the week leading up to the “Love of Mohammed” day, the printing press office of the Daily Times newspaper in Karachi was attacked during a strike organised by the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami on Sep. 19. Armed men first opened fire at the building, then stormed inside, causing material damage, but leaving people unharmed.

On Sep. 18, protesters against the contentious film set fire to the press club in the city of Wari. Three journalists were injured in the process. The crowd reportedly attacked Jamil Roghani (Daily Mashriq newspaper), Idress (Khyber News TV) and Bahadur Khan (Daily Wahdat newspaper) with iron rods and damaged the reporters’ equipment. When the reporters escaped into the building, the crowd followed and set four rooms of the press club building ablaze.

The controversial film had first been shown at a small cinema in Hollywood in June, but it appears to have been the film’s release in Arabic via YouTube in September that sparked a wave of protests across the world. Some of the deadliest protests took place in Pakistan, where at least 23 people were killed and 200 people injured.