{"id":25897,"date":"2021-12-09T16:34:55","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T21:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=25897"},"modified":"2021-12-09T16:54:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T21:54:18","slug":"number-of-journalists-behind-bars-reaches-global-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=25897","title":{"rendered":"Number of journalists behind bars reaches global high"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION<\/p>\n

An article by Arlene Getz. from the Committee to Protect Journalists<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an especially bleak year for defenders of press freedom. CPJ\u2019s 2021 prison census found that the number of reporters jailed for their work hit a new global record of 293, up from a revised total of 280\u00a0in 2020<\/a>. At least 24 journalists\u00a0were killed\u00a0<\/a> because of their coverage so far this year; 18 others died in circumstances too murky to determine whether they were specific targets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nJapanese journalist Yuki Kitazumi, shown here being taken to a Yangon police station in February, was among scores of journalists arrested after the Myanmar military\u2019s post-coup media crackdown. Kitazumi was charged with spreading fake news, but allowed to return to Japan in May. Myanmar is now the world\u2019s second-worst jailer of journalists after China. (AP Photo)<\/center><\/p>\n

China remains the world\u2019s worst jailer of journalists for the third year in a row, with 50 behind bars. Myanmar soared to the second slot after the media crackdown that followed its February 1 military coup. Egypt, Vietnam, and Belarus, respectively, rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n

The reasons for the relentless climb in the numbers of detained journalists \u2013 this is the sixth consecutive year that CPJ\u2019s census has recorded at least 250 incarcerated \u2013 differ between countries. But all reflect a stark trend: a growing intolerance of independent reporting.\u00a0Emboldened autocrats\u00a0<\/a> are increasingly ignoring due process and flouting international norms to keep themselves in power. In a world preoccupied with COVID-19 and trying to prioritize issues like climate change, repressive governments are clearly aware that public outrage at human rights abuses is blunted and democratic governments have less appetite for political or economic retaliation.
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\nIt\u2019s true that some unexpected countries did buck the trend of putting more journalists in prison. Turkey, once the world\u2019s worst jailer of journalists, is now ranked sixth in the CPJ census after releasing 20 prisoners in the last year. Eighteen remain. Saudi Arabia\u2019s release of 10 prisoners \u2013 it\u2019s holding 14 after no new journalists were recorded on the 2021 census \u2013 means it is no longer among the five biggest offenders.<\/p>\n

However, it would be na\u00efve to see lower prisoner numbers as a sign of a change of heart toward the press. As CPJ has\u00a0noted<\/a>, Turkey\u2019s crackdown after a failed coup attempt in 2016 effectively eradicated the country\u2019s mainstream media and prompted many journalists to leave the profession. Turkey\u2019s prison count is also declining as the government allows more journalists out on parole to await trial or appeal outcomes.<\/p>\n

In Saudi Arabia, the intimidatory effect of\u00a0Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s horrific murder\u00a0<\/a> and dismemberment in 2018, along with several new detentions in 2019, is likely to have silenced many journalists more effectively than any fresh wave of arrests. In addition, authoritarian leaders are increasingly finding more sophisticated ways to block independent reporters and outlets \u2013 notably\u00a0internet shutdowns\u00a0<\/a> and increased surveillance through\u00a0high-tech spyware <\/a>\u00a0\u2013 than keeping them behind bars.
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\nChina\u2019s relentless incarceration of journalists is not new. However, this is the first time journalists held in Hong Kong are found on CPJ\u2019s annual census \u2013 a result of the implementation of the draconian 2020\u00a0National Security Law\u00a0<\/a> imposed in response to the city\u2019s\u00a0historic\u00a0pro-democracy protests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eight Hong Kong media figures, including\u00a0Jimmy Lai<\/a>, founder of\u00a0Apple Daily\u00a0and Next Digital and CPJ\u2019s 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Awardee, were jailed in a stark blow to the city\u2019s already\u00a0embattled\u00a0<\/a> independent press. Some could face life in prison.<\/p>\n

On mainland China, others face a litany of vague Orwellian charges. Freelance video journalist\u00a0Zhang Zhan<\/a>, arrested in May 2020 for her critical coverage of China\u2019s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is serving four years for \u201cpicking quarrels and stirring up trouble\u201d \u2013 a charge\u00a0often used\u00a0<\/a> to target peaceful critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Others are accused of being \u201ctwo-faced,\u201d a phrase without legal basis but suggesting surreptitious opposition to the Communist Party and often used against\u00a0Xinjiang\u2019s Uighur journalists<\/a>.<\/p>\n

China also targeted non-journalists for tenuous associations with the media,\u00a0arresting 11 people<\/a> for allegedly sending material to\u00a0The Epoch Times,\u00a0a media company affiliated with the spiritual group Falun Gong. The 11 are not listed in the CPJ census because\u00a0The Epoch Times\u00a0said they were not reporters, but their detention is an ominous indicator of China\u2019s efforts to stifle media discourse.<\/p>\n

Myanmar, which had no journalists in jail as of December 1, 2020, saw the military\u2019s post-coup repression leave 26 journalists in custody 12 months later. The situation, however, is even more dire than this total suggests. Many journalists, among them American\u00a0Danny Fenster<\/a>, were\u00a0released\u00a0<\/a> ahead of the census count after months in prison and CPJ\u2019s research suggests there may be others in custody yet to be identified as reporters. In addition, an unknown number of reporters have gone underground or into exile \u2013 their departure\u00a0a significant blow\u00a0t<\/a> o gains made by independent media under the ousted elected government.<\/p>\n

Egypt came in behind Myanmar as the world\u2019s third-worst jailer of journalists, with 25 in custody for 2021. Although a decrease from last year, the ongoing detentions are emblematic of the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi government\u2019s often blatant disregard of its country\u2019s own laws.<\/p>\n

(Article continued in the column on the right)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question related to this article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n 
\nFree flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(Article continued from the column on the left)<\/p>\n

Egyptian authorities regularly\u00a0work around legislation\u00a0<\/a> limiting prisoners\u2019 pretrial detention to two years by filing additional charges to extend that period. In other cases, they attach conditions to the releases of those who\u2019ve completed their sentences.<\/p>\n

Egyptian photojournalist and CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee\u00a0Mahmoud Abou Zeid<\/a>, known as Shawkan, for example, has spent every night\u00a0in police custody\u00a0<\/a> since he was freed from Tora prison on March 4, 2019. Released\u00a0 under \u201cpolice observation<\/a>,\u201d he\u00a0must report\u00a0<\/a> to a police station every evening for the next five years. Every evening so far, police order him to spend the night in the station\u2019s cells. Shawkan is also prohibited from managing his financial assets and property for five years.<\/p>\n

In sub-Saharan Africa, the biggest setback for media freedom came in Ethiopia. The government of Abiy Ahmed, who became prime minister amidst an\u00a0unprecedented era\u00a0<\/a> of reform after becoming prime minister in 2018, emerged in 2021 as the second-worst jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, after Eritrea.<\/p>\n

Numerous journalists have been arrested in the country since the start of the civil war between the federal government forces and forces led by the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front (TPLF) a year ago; nine reporters were still in custody on December 1. Six were arrested in November as the conflict escalated and the government imposed\u00a0harsh emergency laws<\/a>. CPJ documented multiple other\u00a0press freedom violations\u00a0<\/a> throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Belarus leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, meanwhile, showed how little he cared about public opinion and how much he cared about staying in power by the extreme measures taken to arrest\u00a0journalist Raman Pratasevich<\/a>: the outrageous\u00a0diversion\u00a0<\/a> of a civilian RyanAir flight to take Pratasevich off the plane.<\/p>\n

Belarus now has at least 19 journalists behind bars, up from 10 last year and the highest since CPJ started keeping data on imprisoned journalists in 1992.<\/p>\n

One of those in custody is Aliaksandr Ivulin, a reporter for independent sports news site\u00a0Tribuna.\u00a0While Ivulin is facing up to four years in prison on charges of violating public order, one of his fans was sentenced to 14 days in detention for wearing a club shirt with the number 25 to a match at Ivulin\u2019s local football club. The reason? That\u2019s the number worn by Ivulin when he played for the club.<\/p>\n

In this grim year for free expression, that kind of intolerance leaves little room for optimism that the number of jailed journalists will stop setting records anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Other findings of note:<\/strong><\/p>\n

CPJ recorded\u00a019 journalists murdered\u00a0<\/a> in retaliation for their work as of December 1, 2021, compared with 22 in all of 2020.\u00a0Three more\u00a0<\/a> killed this year while reporting from conflict zones, and\u00a0two others\u00a0<\/a> were killed covering protests or street clashes that turned deadly.<\/p>\n

Mexico remained the Western hemisphere\u2019s deadliest country for reporters.\u00a0Three journalists were murdered\u00a0<\/a> in direct retribution for their reporting; CPJ is investigating the other six killings to determine whether they were related to their journalism.<\/p>\n

India\u00a0<\/a> has the highest number of journalists \u2013 four \u2013 confirmed to have been murdered in retaliation for their work. A fifth was killed while covering a protest.<\/p>\n

Six journalists are listed on the prison census for Latin America: three in Cuba, two in Nicaragua, and one in Brazil. While a relatively low number, CPJ has found a disturbing decline in press freedom in the region.<\/p>\n

At least 17 jailed journalists have been charged with cybercrimes. In the West African country of Benin, two are charged under the country\u2019s broadly worded digital code, which is seen as a major challenge to press freedom by allowing criminal prosecution for anything published or distributed online.<\/p>\n

Forty of the 293 detained journalists \u2013 less than 14% \u2013 are women.<\/p>\n

\tNo journalists were jailed in North America at the time of the census deadline. However, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a partner of CPJ,\u00a0recorded 56 arrests and detentions\u00a0<\/a> of journalists across the U.S. during 2021. Eighty-six percent occurred during protests. In Canada,\u00a0two journalists\u00a0<\/a> arrested while covering land rights protest in northern British Columbia spent three nights in custody before a court ordered their conditional release.<\/p>\n

Methodology<\/strong><\/p>\n

The prison census accounts only for journalists in government custody and does not include those who have disappeared or are held captive by non-state actors. These cases are classified as \u201cmissing\u201d or \u201cabducted.\u201d<\/p>\n

CPJ defines journalists as people who cover the news or comment on public affairs in any media, including print, photographs, radio, television, and online. In its annual prison census, CPJ includes only those journalists who it has confirmed have been imprisoned in relation to their work.<\/p>\n

CPJ\u2019s list is a snapshot of those incarcerated at 12:01 a.m. on December 1, 2021. It does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year; accounts of those cases can be found at\u00a0http:\/\/cpj.org. Journalists remain on CPJ\u2019s list until the organization determines with reasonable certainty that they have been released or have died in custody.<\/p>\n

Arlene Getz is editorial director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Now based in New York, she has reported from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as a foreign correspondent, editor, and editorial executive for Newsweek. Prior to joining CPJ, she spent nine years at Reuters, where she she was the editor in charge of the service\u2019s global Commentary section.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION An article by Arlene Getz. from the Committee to Protect Journalists It\u2019s been an especially bleak year for defenders of press freedom. CPJ\u2019s 2021 prison census found that the number of reporters jailed for their work hit a new global record of 293, up from a revised total of 280\u00a0in 2020. … Continue reading Number of journalists behind bars reaches global high<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,76],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-25897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information","category-global","tag-global"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}