As of December 1, more than half of the journalists arrested worldwide were in five countries: China (110); Myanmar (formerly Burma, 62); Iran (47); Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31). The figures were released this Wednesday by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Reporters Without Borders, which said 533 media workers have been detained this year alone: a new high. Last year, 488 people were arrested – already a historical record.
Iran is the only country not blacklisted in 2021, also citing a Paris-based press freedom structure that has maintained the annual record since 1995. The Islamic Republic has detained an “unprecedented” number of media professionals over the past 20 years, NGO Secretary-General Christophe Deloir said. “Dictatorships and authoritarian regimes are quickly filling prisons with journalists,” he said, noting the unprecedented number of women journalists arrested: 78. Last year there were 60. “Women now make up almost 15% of all journalists. detainees, compared to less than 7% five years ago,” Christophe Deloire calculated.
The number of journalists killed on the job is also on the rise, not least because of the war in Ukraine. In 2020, 50 journalists died at work, last year – 48. This year already 57.
Author: Ana Maria Ribeiro as well as Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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