CAIRO — On Dec. 12, 2012, Egyptian reporter Al-Hosseiny Abou Deif was killed while reporting on clashes outside the presidential palace between protesters demonstrating against then-President Mohammed Morsi and his supporters.

It was an unprecedented moment. The country’s first Islamist president had issued a constitutional decree giving him sweeping new powers and stripping the judiciary of the power to challenge his decisions. He had also called for a referendum on a constitution drafted mostly by Islamists that opponents said failed to protect the rights of women and the media, among its other faults.

Morsi’s supporters attacked a peaceful demonstration at the palace protesting his rule early that December, sparking a bloody and polarizing battle that would leave 10 dead and 748 injured. Deif died in a local hospital after being shot in the head Dec. 12 — one of nine journalists killed while working in Egypt since 2011.

As 2013 nears its end, Egypt has been ranked second on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ list of deadliest countries for journalists in 2013, with Syria ranked first. The CPJ recently made public a letter it sent to Egypt’s attorney-general, Hisham Barakat, urging investigations into the killings of journalists in Egypt.