Reporters Without Borders: 389 journalists currently in prison worldwide
Activists protesting in Paris to highlight repression against journalists. Photo: AFP
A total of 49 journalists were killed this year, 389 are currently in prison and 57 are being held hostage, according to the annual worldwide round-up of deadly violence and abusive treatment against journalists, released today by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Journalism remains a dangerous profession but the number of journalists killed this year is at its lowest in 16 years.
Most journalists are behind bars in China (120), followed by Egypt (36) and Syria (32).
Since the beginning of the year, 49 journalists have been killed around the world, which is almost a 50% fall on last year’s figure. The most dangerous countries for journalists in 2019 were Mexico, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia, the report says.
In addition, 57 media workers were kidnapped, one of them in the east of Ukraine, and the rest in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Many of them are still missing.
In Belarus, 20 journalists have been convicted in 2019. Some stood trial more than once. Most of them have been found guilty of illegal contributions to foreign media outlets. Several reporters have been arbitrarily detained. The country’s human rights defenders say the ongoing judicial harassment of Belarusian journalists is an apparent human rights abuse aimed to silence critical voices.
