14, Dec 2017 | CJP Team

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has found that the number of journalists in prison globally reached a new record in 2017, exceeding the previous record in 2016. CPJ, in its annual prison census, discovered that 262 journalists are currently imprisoned, with 134 of these, or 51%, in China, Egypt, and Turkey. In 2016, the total number was 259. In this context, Turkey continues to be the worst offender, with 73 journalists in prison, down from 81 in 2016. According to CPJ, several more are facing trial, and others are arrested routinely. In China, the number of jailed journalists is 41, up from 38 last year, while in Egypt the number reduced to 20 from 25 last year. 194 journalists, or 74%, have been jailed on anti-state charges, while 35 have been imprisoned without any charges being revealed publicly. CPJ also found that 87% of the journalists behind bars covered politics, making it “by far the most dangerous beat”. CPJ says it has been carrying out yearly surveys of imprisoned journalists since the early 1990s.