Most of the detainees are in Communist China, according to a new report by the international media watchdog.


According to a survey, at least 387 journalists are in prison worldwide. It is the conclusion in the annual balance sheet on freedom of the press published by the organization Reporters Without Borders. More than half of these prisoners are spread across just five countries: Communist China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam, and Syria. According to the report, 54 journalists are currently kidnapped, and four disappeared in 2020.

More than 130 media workers in all parts of the world have been arbitrarily arrested since spring for reporting on the Wuhan virus crisis, stated analysts of the Reporters Without Borders. "Many only for hours or a few days, others for weeks. At least 14 of them are currently in prison," the report said. The report stated that the governments in all parts of the world tried to suppress independent reporting on the virus crisis and its consequences. There have been more than 370, mostly shorter arrests in Belarus since the controversial presidential election.

Nearly the same number of journalists-prisoners as in 2019

A very high number of journalists in prison around the world throws a glaring light on the current dangers to press freedom, stated the organization's spokeswoman for the board, Katja Gloger. Far too many governments react to protests, grievances, or a crisis like the Wuhan virus pandemic with reprisals against the bearers of the bad news. Behind each and every one of these cases is the fate of a person, the criminal process, long imprisonment, and often mistreatment threatens because he has not bowed to censorship and repression.

As of December 1st, this year there were only two fewer media workers in prison than at the same time in 2019 when this number had risen significantly for the third time in a row and reached a high of 389.

As of December 1, five journalists were threatened with the execution of their death sentences: four of them are under the control of rebels in Yemen, and blogger Ruhollah Sam had the Iranian judiciary executed last Saturday.