jpnn.com, JAKARTA - The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) has noted that the number of journalists detained throughout 2021 has reached record high.
The non-profit organization said as of December 1 this year, a total of 293 journalists have been put behind bars.
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At least 24 journalists died while reporting, while 18 others died under mysterious circumstances related to their profession.
This was based on the CPJ's presentation in its annual survey on press freedom and attacks on the media, Thursday (9/12).
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The CPJ said while the reasons for being in prison vary from country to country, the record numbers reflected political upheaval around the world and the growing intolerance of independent reporting.
"This is the sixth year in a row that CPJ has documented record numbers of journalists imprisoned around the world," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement.
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Journalists killed in 2021 included Danish Siddiqui, a Reuters photographer who died in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan in July.
Then, there was Gustavo Sanchez Cabrera, who was shot and killed in Mexico in June.
China has put 50 journalists in prison, the most of any country. Myanmar followed with the arrest of 26 journalists, as part of the crackdown after the February 1 coup. Egypt had a record of 25 journalists, Vietnam 23, and Belarus 19.
For the first time, the CPJ list includes journalists imprisoned in Hong Kong, as victims of the 2022 national security law.
The law states that anything Beijing considers to be subversion, secession, terrorism or colluding with foreign troops is punishable by life imprisonment.
Mexico, where journalists are often targeted when their job is to scrutinize criminal gangs or corrupt officials, is still "hell" in the Western hemisphere for media crews. (antara/reuters/mcr20/jpnn)
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