A record 488 media professionals are being held in prisons this year, the non-governmental organisation Reporters sans frontières (RSF) complains in its annual report, which however also records the reduction of murders of journalists to a 20-year low (46).
"Never since the creation of RSF's annual report in 1995 has the number of imprisoned journalists been so high," the non-governmental organization defending freedom of the press noted in a press release accompanying its report.Major concern for journalists in three countries
The very alarming increase of 20% in one year is "primarily due to three countries", Myanmar, Belarus and China, where the national security law imposed in 2020 in Hong Kong has caused a massive increase in the imprisonment of journalists, RSF says.Also "never before has RSF recorded such a large number of women" among imprisoned journalists, which has now reached 60, in other words up by a third compared to 2020.Although men continue to make up the vast majority of imprisoned journalists globally (87.7%), in Belarus more women (17) have been put behind bars than their male colleagues (15).On the other hand, in Myanmar, where the military seized power in the February 1 coup, the number of journalists behind bars has risen to 53, whereas a year ago, just two were imprisoned.<p
Where are the most jailed journalists
The five countries where the most journalists were in jail on 1 December were China (127), Myanmar (53), Vietnam (43), Belarus (32) and Saudi Arabia (31).However, the number of journalists and media professionals killed - 46 people - is the lowest recorded in twenty years, the organization notes."This downward trend, which accelerated from 2016 onwards, is mainly explained by the evolution of regional conflicts (Syria, Iraq and Yemen) and the stabilisation of fronts after 2012 and 2016, two particularly deadly years," RSF analyses.Most of the deaths were targeted killings: "65% of the victims were deliberately targeted and eliminated," the NGO laments.Most dangerous countries
Mexico and Afghanistan remained once again the two most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with 7 and 6 killed respectively. Yemen and India share third place on this gruesome list, with 4 murders of journalists each.Reporters Without Borders also counts at least 65 journalists and media associates held hostage internationally, two more than last year."All of them are being held hostage in three Middle Eastern countries: in Syria (44 journalists), Iraq (11) and Yemen (9)," with the sole exception being French journalist Olivier Dubois, who has been held since April in Mali, RSF clarifies.Source: APM
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Sourcehttps://cyprustimes.com/kosmos/i-di...ofonimenoi-anthropoi-toy-typoy-mesa-sto-2021/
