Over 250 journalists in jails worldwide in 2018 – CPJ

Over 250 journalists are imprisoned around the world for their professional activities, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Thursday, citing its annual global survey.

“Fresh waves of repression in China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia sustained the global crackdown on press freedom in 2018.

“For the third consecutive year, at least 251 journalists are in jail in relation to their works.

“Turkey is still the world’s worst jailer of journalists,’’ the CPJ said.

The committee said that 70 per cent of the jailed journalists were charged with anti-state activities, including being part of groups considered as terrorists by authorities,

The report noted that 98 per cent of those journalists were detained in their home countries, while only five of them were jailed in states that they were non-citizens.

(Sputnik/NAN)