There are currently 533 journalists and media workers around the world in prison because of their work. That is 63 people more than in the previous year. The number of inmates is higher than ever, even if it has risen less sharply compared to the previous year. This emerges from the annual report on freedom of the press by the organization Reporters Without Borders (ROG). Accordingly, the number of imprisoned women in particular has increased significantly. There are 30 percent more journalists in prison than in previous years. According to ROG, this is also due to the protests in Iran.
According to the report, since the violent death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini in September, Iran has risen to become the third most detained country. Almost two months after the protests began, 47 journalists are currently in prison across the country. Two are currently even threatened with the death penalty: Nilufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi were the first to report on the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. They are charged with “propaganda against the system and conspiracy against national security”.
Unlike Iran, China, Myanmar, Vietnam and Belarus were already the countries with the most jailed journalists in 2021. China has led this record for several years. According to the report, censorship and surveillance have now “reached an extreme level”. 110 media workers are currently being held in China.
According to Reporters Without Borders, 63.6 percent of jailed journalists around the world go untried. Some of them have been in prison for decades without a trial. Those convicted face long prison sentences. For example, the Russian investigative journalist Ivan Safronov, who was found guilty in September by a Russian court: He has been imprisoned for 22 years for allegedly revealing state secrets. All the information in his article was previously available online, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Ukraine is one of the most dangerous countries
Since the beginning of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has been cracking down on critical journalists even more than before. “Almost all independent media outlets in Russia were banned, blocked, declared ‘foreign agents’ during the year,” reads the report.
Ukraine was one of the most dangerous countries this year: so far, eight media workers have died in the war zone. 57 journalists died at work worldwide. According to the report, the American double continent is the most dangerous region for media workers. In particular, Mexico, which is ranked as the most unsafe country for the fourth consecutive year. Organized crime and corruption reports remain among the most dangerous topics in journalism.