Over 270 journalists behind bars in 2020: Committee to Protect Journalists

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday reported that the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide rose to a record high in 2020.

The committee released the findings in a new report announced its findings of "at least 274 journalists in jail in relation to their work on December 1, 2020, exceeding the high of 272 in 2016," adding that it is the largest number recorded since it began collecting data in the early 1990s.

The number of journalists imprisoned in the world last year reached 250.

The New York-based organization indicated that this rise comes largely as a result of governments seeking to restrict media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and of civil unrest.

"Protests and political tensions are the cause of many of the arrests of journalists, most of which were recorded in China, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia."

CPJ pointed out that “with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, authoritarian leaders tried to control media coverage, by arresting journalists,” confirming that “at least two journalists died” after contracting the virus while in detention.

"34 journalists in the world were imprisoned in 2020, accused of publishing false news, compared to 31 journalists last year."

According to CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon, “It’s shocking and appalling that we are seeing a record number of journalists imprisoned in the midst of a global pandemic.”

CPJ considered that an underlying reason for these arrests is "the lack of global leadership, in relation to democratic values, and in particular, the attacks launched by Trump on the media," which the committee's report stated provided "a cover for despots in the world to practice repression against Journalists in their own countries."

“The record number of journalists imprisoned around the world is President Trump’s press freedom legacy,” Simon said.

In Iraq, unidentified gunmen on January 10th assassinated al-Dijla channel correspondent Ahmad Abdul Samad and photographer Safaa Ghali while they were covering protests in the southern, oil-rich city of Basra.

Read More: Iraqis mourn assassinated journalists covering protests

In mid-September, a press freedom advocacy group based in the Kurdistan Region called on regional and federal governments as well as international organizations to protect workers of the Dijlah media group who had to flee to the autonomous region after receiving death threats.

Read More: Kurdistan-based media watchdog calls for protection of journalists facing threats

Editing by John J. Catherine