China is world’s biggest jailer of journalists as attacks on press freedom go on, watchdog says
- Group estimates 250 journalists are behind bars for doing their jobs and 48 of them are in China
- Watchdog says many face ‘anti-state’ charges or accusations of producing ‘false news’
At least 250 journalists are in jails around the world, with the largest number held in China as authoritarian governments crack down on independent media, a report by a press freedom group said on Wednesday.
Many of them faced “anti-state” charges or were accused of producing “false news”, the report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.
The CPJ, which also cited Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eritrea, Vietnam and Iran for jailing journalists, said it counted at least 48 journalists held in Chinese prisons, one more than in 2018, as President Xi Jinping increased efforts to control the media.
That put China ahead of Turkey, which has 47 imprisoned journalists – and the largest number over the previous three years.
The report said the situation in Turkey – which held 68 journalists last year – was not really an improvement but “reflects the successful efforts by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stamp out independent reporting and criticism”.
