A report has revealed that no less than 361 journalists were imprisoned as a result of their work as of December 1, 2024.
This report is based on annual report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
This number was the second highest on record since the CPJ started collecting this data in 1992, following only after 2022 when at least 370 journalists were incarcerated.
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According to CPJ data, 361 journalists were behind bars worldwide at the end of 2024 (up from 320 in 2023). The report comes as the World marks Press Freedom Day on May 3rd.
The main reasons in 2024 were ongoing government crackdowns, war and political and economic instability.
These charges were common in countries such as Myanmar, Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Venezuela, Turkey, India and Bahrain.
In terms of the continents, Asia again had the most jailed journalists in 2024, more than 30% (111) of the global total. Along with the top jailers China, Myanmar, and Vietnam journalists were also detained in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines.
In August 2024, the One Free Press Coalition celebrated the release of two American journalists, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva from Russian detention after their cases topped the May 2024 list of 10 most urgent press freedom cases.
