Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 13-12-2017
The Committee to Protect Journalists says the number of journalists imprisoned for their work hit a historical high, as the U.S. and other Western powers failed to pressure the world’s worst jailers into improving the bleak climate for press freedom.
As of December 1, CPJ found 262 journalists behind bars around the world in relation to their work, an increase on last year’s historical high of 259.
Turkey is again the worst jailer, with 73 journalists imprisoned for their work as the country continues its press freedom crackdown. China and Egypt again take the second and third spot, with 41 and 20 cases respectively.
CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon says in a just society, no journalist should ever be imprisoned for their work.
“It is shameful that for the second year in a row, a record number of journalists are behind bars. Countries that jail journalists for what they publish are violating international law and must be held accountable.”
CPJ says the international community has done little to isolate repressive countries and U.S. President Donald Trump’s nationalistic rhetoric and insistence on labelling critical media “fake news” serves to reinforce the framework of accusations and legal charges that allow such leaders to preside over the jailing of journalists.
Other leading jailers of journalists in 2017 are Eritrea, with 15 cases, and Azerbaijan and Vietnam, with 10 cases each.
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