09 December 2021
According to a latest report by The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), India and Mexico are the deadliest countries for Journalists while China emerged as their largest jailer.
CPJ released a new report on Thursday showing the number of journalists being jailed for doing their job. The number has increased from the previous year.
The report titled "Annual census and global analysis of journalists imprisoned or killed" says 293 journalists were sent behind bars in the year 2021, with an additional 24 journalists being killed globally.
"Imprisoning journalists for reporting the news is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
China: The world's largest jailer of journalists
China under the rule of president Xi Zinping emerged as a leader in jailing its journalists. Currently, 50 journalists are thought to be jailed in China.
Following China in this list in Myanmar which has locked up 26 journalists since the February 1 coup this year that saw the military retake control of the state.
After China and Myanmar, there are countries like Egypt, Vietnam, Belarus, Turkey, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran, with each having incarcerated several journalists.
CPJ noted that traditionally journalists are being charged with anti-state offences, however, CPJ is seeing a rise in cybercrime charges for content published and disseminated online.
Mexico and India: The deadliest countries for journalists
The deadliest countries for journalists in 2021 were Mexico and India. Four journalists were killed in India, while three were murdered in Mexico.
In Mexico, an additional six journalists' deaths remain under investigation.
Beyond that, 18 journalists died in uncertain circumstances that obscure whether their journalism played a role in their deaths.
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