211 journalists in world's jails in 2013 - with three countries holding most

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/dec/18/journalist-safety-turkey

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There were 211 journalists in the world's prisons at the beginning of this month, meaning that 2013 had the second highest total since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) began its annual census 17 years ago. It is close to the record high of 232 the previous year.

According to a special report by Elana Beiser, CPJ's editorial director, Turkey was the world's leading jailer of journalists for the second year running, followed closely by Iran and China.

In fact, those three countries accounted for more than half of all the imprisoned journalists. Beiser writes: "Intolerant governments in Ankara, Tehran and Beijing used mostly anti-state charges to silence a combined 107 critical reporters, bloggers, and editors."

Turkey improves - but 40 are still held in jail

Journalists in Turkish jails declined to 40 from 49 the previous year, as some were freed pending trial. Others benefited from new legislation that allowed defendants in lengthy pre-trial detentions to be released for time served.

Additional journalists were freed after CPJ had completed its census. Still, authorities are holding dozens of Kurdish journalists on terror-related charges and others for allegedly participating in anti-government plots.

Broadly worded anti-terror and penal code statutes allow Turkish authorities to conflate the coverage of banned groups with membership, according to CPJ research.

Iran also improves - with 35 now behind bars

In Iran, the number of jailed journalists fell to 35 from 45, as some sentences expired and the government kept up its policy of releasing some prisoners on licence. But they do not know when, or if, they will be summoned back to jail to finish serving their sentences.

The Tehran authorities also continued to make new arrests and to condemn minority and reformist journalists to lengthy prison terms despite the election in June of a new president, Hassan Rouhani.

China - as last year, 32 are in prison

With 32 reporters, editors and bloggers in prison in China, there has been no change from 2012. Although journalists, including CPJ's 2005 international press freedom award winner, Shi Tao, were released during the year, a fresh crackdown on internet criticism, especially allegations of corruption, led to several new arrests, beginning in August.

The other seven worst jailers of journalists

The list of top 10 worst jailers of journalists was rounded out by Eritrea, Vietnam, Syria, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Uzbekistan.

Egypt held five journalists in jail compared with none in 2012. In Syria, Bashar al-Assad's government held 12 (down from 15 the previous year), but the census does not take account of the dozens of reporters who have been abducted and are believed to be held by armed opposition groups. About 30 journalists are currently missing in Syria.

Vietnam was holding 18 journalists, up from 14 a year earlier, as authorities intensified a crackdown on bloggers, who represent the country's only independent press.

United States holds blogger for contempt

The single journalist behind bars in the Americas was in the United States. Roger Shuler, an independent blogger specialising in allegations of corruption and scandal in Republican circles in Alabama, was being held on contempt of court for refusing to comply with an injunction regarding content ruled defamatory.

With 106 online journalists behind bars, they accounted for half of the total. Seventy-nine worked in print. And about a third were freelancers.

Worldwide, 124 journalists were jailed on anti-state charges such as subversion or terrorism­. That is far higher than any other type of charge, such as defamation.

<em><strong>NB:</strong></em> The CPJ, a New York-based press freedom watchdog, calls its census "a snapshot" of journalists incarcerated at midnight on 1 December 2013. It does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year. Nor does it include the journalists who either disappeared or were abducted.

<em>Source:</em> CPJ

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