Why China, Turkey are the worst places to be a journalist

China has retained its position as the world’s worst place for journalists, according to a survey conducted by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), detailing the dangers journalists are exposed to in the communist state.

In its annual global survey, CPJ found that Chinese authorities have arrested 47 journalists for their coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it the world’s worst jailer for the second year in a row.

“Many of the 47 prisoners are serving long sentences, or are jailed in Xinjiang province without any charge disclosed,” the report says.

Authorities arrested several journalists for their coverage of the pandemic as the coronavirus ravaged the city of Wuhan in Hubei province early this year. Those arrested were mainly whose coverage threatened the official narrative of Beijing’s response.

In total, the survey established that at least 274 journalists are in jail across the world in relation to their work as at December 1, 2020, exceeding the high of 272 in 2016.

Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Behind China is Turkey, which continues to try journalists free on parole and arrest new ones, followed by Egypt, which went to great lengths to keep custody of journalists not convicted of any crime; and Saudi Arabia.

The report notes that Egyptian authorities intensified their spree of arrests, charges, and indefinite renewals of pretrial detention, bringing the number of journalists in jail to 27, matching a record set in 2016.

“This year, the crackdown in Egypt appeared to proceed sometimes because of, and sometimes in spite of, the pandemic; and in one case authorities’ actions were fatal,” the report says.

At least three journalists were arrested for their work on Covid-19, such as criticising a lack of State media coverage of doctors and nurses who contracted the illness. The Ministry of Interior banned visitors, including family members and lawyers, from visiting prisons from early March to mid-August, citing the virus.

“Lack of global leadership on democratic values – particularly from the United States – has perpetuated the crisis,” CPJ says in its reporting, arguing that authoritarian states have leveraged on President Donald Trump’s “fake news” rhetoric to justify their actions.

US journalists

While the report notes that no journalists were jailed within the US at the time of CPJ’s prison census, an unprecedented 110 journalists were arrested or criminally charged in 2020 and around 300 were assaulted, the majority by law enforcement, according to the US Press Freedom Tracker.

At least 12 still face criminal charges, some of which carry jail terms. 

Observers told CPJ that the polarised political climate, militarised law enforcement, and vitriol towards the media combined during a wave of protests to eradicate norms that once afforded journalists police protection.  

A survey conducted by CPJ shows that countries where the number of jailed journalists rose significantly include Belarus, where mass protests have ensued over the disputed re-election of the long-time president, and Ethiopia, where political unrest has degenerated into armed conflict.