Number of Jailed Reporters Reaches New High in 2020

At least 274 journalists have been jailed around the work this year in connection with their work - a new record high - said an annual survey published on Tuesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ found.

The jailing of journalists increased this year "as governments cracked down on coverage of COVID-19 or tried to suppress reporting on political unrest" said the CPJ report.

China with 47 imprisoned journalists emerged as the biggest jailer, while Turkey was the second worst offender with 37 jailed media workers, ahead of Egypt with 27 prisoners and Saudi Arabia with 24 in third and fourth place, according to the CPJ, an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes press freedom.

The CPJ noted that while the number of journalists imprisoned in Turkey for alleged anti-state activities was fewer than 2016, the year of the failed coup attempt in the country which led to mass arrests of alleged subversives, the crackdown on freedom of the media in the country has continued.

"CPJ found 37 journalists imprisoned [in Turkey] this year, less than half than in 2016, but authorities continue to arrest journalists — and their lawyers. Because of COVID-19, judicial proceedings were suspended for three months in 2020, prolonging prison for those in custody and anxiety for those free pending trial," the CPJ said.

It added that in the last few weeks alone, the Turkish authorities arrested at least three journalists working for the pro-Kurdish outlet Mezopotamya News Agency over their critical coverage.

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Elsewhere in Europe, the CPJ noted that journalists were caught up in this year's unrest Belarus, when protests erupted after President Alexander Lukashenko...