Number of imprisoned journalists hits record in 2021, report points out

The number of journalists around the world who are behind bars hit a global record in 2021, according to a new report by the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists, which says 293 reporters were arrested as of December this year.

At least 24 other journalists have been killed because of their coverage, and another 18 have died in circumstances that make it very difficult to determine whether they were targeted because of their work, CPJ reported on Thursday in its annual report on freedom. press releases and attacks on the media. .

While the reasons for reporters in prison vary between countries, the record number reflects political unrest around the world and a growing intolerance of independent journalism, according to the US-based nonprofit.

“This is the sixth consecutive year that CPJ has documented a record number of imprisoned journalists around the world,” Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement.

“The number reflects two inextricable challenges – governments are determined to control and manage information and are increasingly brazen in their efforts to do so,” he said.

Journalists killed in 2021 include Siddiqui, a Dane, a Reuters photographer who died in a Taliban attack on Afghanistan in July, and Gustavo Sanchez Cabrera, who was shot and killed in Mexico in June.

China arrested 50 journalists, the most worldwide, followed by Myanmar (26), which arrested reporters as part of a crackdown after the military coup in February, then Egypt (25), Vietnam (23) and Belarus ( 19), CPJ said.

For the first time, CPJ’s list includes journalists incarcerated in Hong Kong — a by-product of the 2020 national security law, which makes anything Beijing deems subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces punishable by life imprisonment.

Mexico, where journalists are often targeted when their work disturbs criminal gangs or corrupt officials, remains the most lethal country in the Western Hemisphere for reporters, according to CPJ.