The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that the number of globally jailed journalists reached a record high of 293 in 2021.

“At least 24 journalists were killed because of their coverage so far this year; 18 others died in circumstances too murky to determine whether they were specific targets,” the CPJ reports.

China remains the world’s worst jailer of journalists for the third year in a row, with fifty behind bars.

Myanmar jumped to second place after the media crackdown that followed its February 1 military coup.

Egypt, Vietnam, and Belarus, respectively, rounded out the top five.

Turkey, one of the worst jailer of journalists of late, is now ranked in sixth place after releasing twenty jailed reporters.

“Turkey’s crackdown after a failed coup attempt in 2016 effectively eradicated the country’s mainstream media and prompted many journalists to leave the profession. Turkey’s prison count is also declining as the government allows more journalists out on parole to await trial or appeal outcomes,” the CPJ reports.

The CPJ reports that no journalists were imprisoned in Armenia and Georgia in 2021, with two behind bars in Azerbaijan.

(The CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization headquartered in New York City.)

Photo: REUTERS/Janis Laizans