(Paris) A record number of 488 media professionals are imprisoned around the world, deplores RSF in its annual report, which however records a number of journalists killed (46) at the lowest for 20 years.
“Never since the creation of the annual report of RSF in 1995 has the number of jailed journalists been so high”, notes the NGO for the defense of press freedom, in a statement released Thursday.
This exceptional increase, of the order of 20% in one year, “is mainly the result of three countries”, namely Burma, Belarus and China, whose national security law imposed in 2020 in Hong Kong caused a sharp increase in the detentions of journalists in this territory, points out RSF.
“Never has RSF recorded so many female journalists detained”, in total 60, a third more than in 2020, deplores the association.
While men still represent the majority of jailed journalists around the world (87.7%), Belarus is the country that has locked up more female journalists (17) than male colleagues (15).
The five countries where the largest number of journalists were detained in the 1er December are China (127), Burma (53), Vietnam (43), Belarus (32) and Saudi Arabia (31).
The number of journalists and media professionals killed, with 46 dead, reached its lowest level in 20 years, notes the organization.
“This downward trend, which has been accentuated since 2016, is explained in particular by the evolution of regional conflicts (Syria, Iraq and Yemen) and the stabilization of the fronts after the years 2012 and 2016, which were particularly deadly”, analyzes RSF.
The majority of these deaths are assassinations: “65% of those killed are knowingly targeted and eliminated”, denounces the association.
Mexico and Afghanistan are still the two most dangerous countries for journalists this year, with 7 and 6 respectively killed, followed by Yemen and India in third place, with 4 journalists killed each.
RSF also counts at least 65 journalists and media workers held hostage around the world, two more than last year.
“All are hostages in three countries of the Middle East: Syria (44 journalists), Iraq (11) and Yemen (9)” except the French journalist Olivier Dubois, detained since April in Mali, details RSF.