Prison Census

9 results arranged by date

Journalist imprisonments reach 30-year high

Dramatic rise in arrests makes Iran world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2022 New York, December 14, 2022—The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide is the highest ever recorded in the 30 years that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has produced its prison census, the organization said Wednesday. A record 363 journalists were behind bars…

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CPJ to release annual report of journalists imprisoned globally

New York, December 6, 2022—On December 14, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists will release its annual census of journalists imprisoned worldwide. The census records journalists known to be in custody as of December 1, 2022, providing background information and demographic data on each case, as well as in-depth analysis of trends driving the sharp…

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CPJ welcomes Egypt’s release of two journalists, says others must also be freed

Washington, D.C., April 26, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes news reports that Egypt has included journalists Mohamed Salah and Abdo Fayed among its latest prisoner releases, but calls on Egyptian authorities to release at least 23 other journalists in custody. “We are pleased that Salah and Fayed are getting some relief after…

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CPJ to release annual list of journalists imprisoned worldwide

New York, December 8, 2020–The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its annual census of journalists imprisoned worldwide on December 15, 2020. The census lists journalists jailed as of midnight on December 1, 2020, and indicates the country where held, charge, and medium of work in each case. The census does not include the many…

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The Intermediate People's Court in Tianjin, in December 2018. By law, court verdicts should be posted online, but in reality few rulings are made public. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

How many journalists are jailed in China? Censorship means we don’t know

Reporting on China’s harassment of journalists has never been easy. Lately it’s been getting much harder, which suggests that conditions for the press could be worsening. At least 47 journalists were jailed in China at the time of CPJ’s 2018 prison census and I am investigating at least a dozen other cases, but the details…

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Broadcast equipment is placed on a poster during a protest in Istanbul in October 2017 over Turkey's press freedom crackdown. CPJ is joining a call for Turkish authorities to release all journalists jailed for their work. (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

CPJ joins call for Turkey to release jailed journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 47 members of the European Parliament and other press freedom organizations to call on Turkey to end its crackdown on the press and the mass imprisonment of journalists.

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Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev arrives in Brussels in November 2017. Azerbaijan has continued to harass and censor its press ahead of snap elections scheduled for April 11. (AP/Olivier Matthys/File)

Azerbaijan goes to the polls amid muzzled media and blocked websites

When it comes to silencing critics, Azerbaijani authorities have been industrious and methodical. Ahead of snap presidential elections scheduled for April 11, potential opposition candidates have been either jailed or barred from running, and the political landscape has been cleansed of virtually all formal avenues of expressing dissent.

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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev addresses the UN General Assembly in September 2017. Uzbekistan has released the world's longest-jailed journalist, but two others are still in jail awaiting trial. (AFP/Jewel Samad)

Uzbekistan releases world’s longest-jailed journalist, but two more face trial

New York, March 2, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today confirmed that Yusuf Ruzimuradov, the longest-imprisoned journalist worldwide, was freed in Uzbekistan in late February. CPJ called on authorities to take further steps to improve the climate for the media by dropping charges against two independent journalists who are due in court in a separate…

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A poster, pictured in Cairo in October 2017, calls for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to run in elections. Egypt's March vote will be held while the state of emergency is still in place. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Ahead of March elections, Egypt extends state of emergency and tightens censorship

The New York Times reported this week that Egypt ordered a criminal investigation into the paper over its report alleging that an intelligence officer told several TV hosts they should persuade viewers to accept President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The investigation comes in the same week that Egypt’s parliament voted…

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