China jails more journalists than anywhere else: report
December 11, 2019
A new report has revealed the extent of China's jailing of journalists. But it's not the only authoritarian regime cracking down on freedom of the press.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Cheung
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China jailed at least 48 journalists in 2019, making it the most prolific incarcerator of journalists in the world, a press watchdog group said Wednesday.
The situation for journalists was almost as grim in Turkey, with 47 journalists jailed in the country over the same period, according to a new report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
At least 250 journalists were jailed across the world, it reported, slightly down from last year.
Beijing defended its record on press freedom, saying it was simply carrying out the rule of law.
"No one is above the law," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a press briefing, before advising reporters to consider what "illegal things" the 48 jailed journalists did.
Many of China's jailed journalists faced "anti-state" charges or are accused of producing "false news," according to the report.
In the year previous, there were 68 journalists jailed in Turkey, significantly more than this year. However the organization said this was a reflection of the success of the crackdown by the Turkish regime.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime has closed more than 100 news outlets and filed terror-related charges against many of their staff, putting many reporters out of work and intimidating others, according to the CPJ.
"Dozens of journalists not currently jailed in Turkey are still facing trial or appeal and could yet be sentenced to prison, while others have been sentenced in absentia and face arrest if they return to the country," the organization said.
Authoritarianism, instability and protests in the Middle East meant more journalists were imprisoned in the region, CPJ reported.
Women represent about 8% of those imprisoned globally, down from 13% last year.
Journalists were most likely to be imprisoned if they reported on politics, human rights and corruption.
The report includes only journalists who were are behind bars on December 1 each year, and does not include those who have been released earlier or journalists taken by non-state entities such as militant groups.
aw/stb (AFP, Reuters)
Where freedom of the press doesn't exist
Many states routinely attack and intimidate journalists and bloggers to keep them in check. In its 2015 press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders ranks the performance of 180 countries. These states come in last.
Image: Fotolia/picsfive
Africa's very own North Korea: Eritrea
Eritrea ranks second-last in the World Press Freedom Index. Reports from the disastrous state of affairs in Eritrea are rare, and many journalists have been forced to leave the country. Radio Erena is the only one to broadcast independent information to the people of Eritrea — from Paris.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Juinen
Dictated by the dictator
Press freedom is also non-existent in North Korea. Sealed off from the rest of the world, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un keeps a check on what the media publish. State TV and radio are available, nothing more. People who express their opinions vanish in political prison camps — along with their entire families.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Yonhap/Kcna
Keeping tabs in Turkmenistan
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov owns almost all of the country's media corporations. The newspaper Rysgal is the only exception, and even here, every edition needs state approval before it can go to press. A new law against media monopolies gives the people of Turkmenistan access to foreign news, but the government still keeps tabs on the Internet, and blocks most websites.
Image: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images
Culling the critics
Independent media do not exist in Vietnam. The ruling Communist Party tells journalists what to publish. For the most part, publishers, editors and the reporters themselves are party members. Authorities have recently taken a greater interest in bloggers who challenge the authoritarian Communist Party's opinion monopoly - and try to silence them by sending them to jail.
Image: picture alliance/ZB/A. Burgi
China's non-freedom
China, Reporters Without Borders says, is the world's biggest prison for bloggers and journalists. The authoritarian regime takes massive steps against unwelcome news coverage; pressure on foreign reporters is also on the rise. Entire regions are taboo to them, their work is closely monitored and Chinese assistants or interview partners can quite simply be imprisoned.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Schiefelbein
Under fire in Syria
Many journalists have been persecuted and killed since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad, whom Reporters Without Borders has ranked as an enemy of press freedom for years. The al-Nusra front, which fights against Assad, and the Islamic State group in turn attack Syrian state media reporters, kidnapping or publicly executing the journalists and correspondents.
