Arrests of journalists break record in 2022, says NGO

There have been 533 arrests worldwide; another 57 were killed

The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported on Wednesday (14) that 533 journalists were arrested worldwide in 2022, a new annual record in the organisation’s tally. There are 40 professionals more than the number recorded the previous year, which was also a record.

Another detail is that many female reporters have never been arrested in 12 months: there are 78 behind bars, up 30% compared to 2021.

More than half of imprisoned communication professionals are found in five countries: China (110), Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31), with Iranians the only ones not appearing in the TOP5 l last year, a reflection of the coverage of the protests for more women’s rights that began in September.

“Dictatorial and authoritarian regimes are rapidly filling their prisons with journalists. This new record in the number of detained journalists confirms the imperious and urgent need to resist these unscrupulous governments and to exercise our active solidarity with all those who promote the ideal of freedom, independence and pluralism of information,” he said in a note the general secretary of RSF, Christophe Deloire.

Another negative figure in the report is the increase in the deaths of journalists, which rose to 57, with an increase of 18.8%. “The war in Ukraine, which broke out on February 24, 2022, is one of the causes of the increase. In the first six months of the war, 8 journalists were killed”, underlines the document.

But the most impressive thing is that six out of 10 dead reporters work in countries considered “peaceful”. Mexico continues to have the highest number in this regard, with 11 homicides, followed by Haiti (6) and Brazil (3).

According to RSF, the Americas are “the most dangerous region for journalists: almost half of those murdered this year (47.4%) were killed in this part of the world”. 🇧🇷

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Source: Terra

Camila

Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.