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Journalist at the port of Odessa in Ukraine: Eight media workers have been killed in the country since the start of Russia's war of aggression
Photo: Michael Shtekel/AP
Repressions against media workers are increasing worldwide: This is the result of the annual balance sheet of the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
According to this, as of December 1, at least 533 people were in prison just for reporting.
It is the highest number of recorded detentions since RSF began collecting statistics.
According to the balance sheet, more than a quarter of media workers were imprisoned during the year.
Half of all detainees are in prisons in just five countries: China, Myanmar, Iran, Vietnam and Belarus.
According to the figures, China is "the largest prison for media workers in the world."
In Russia, too, the state is cracking down, according to RSF.
Anyone who stayed in the country after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine had to work underground in view of the draconian penalties.
Up to 15 years in prison threatened for spreading misinformation about the Russian army.
The number of detainees had already increased by 20 percent last year, to 470 detainees at the time.
"This year the increase was somewhat lower at 13.4 percent," said RSF.
Nevertheless, the trend shows: "Authoritarian regimes are increasingly turning to simply locking disruptive journalists away."
More journalists killed - also in the Ukraine war
RSF also recorded an increase in the number of journalists killed in the course of their work.
57 media professionals died worldwide in 2022, compared to 48 the previous year.
The number had previously been falling for two years.
One of the reasons for the increase was the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
So far, eight media workers have been killed there alone, making the country the second most dangerous country for journalists in the world.
Deaths like that of Ukrainian photographer and documentary filmmaker Maks Levin had attracted international attention.
However, with a share of almost 65 percent, the majority of the journalists killed in 2022 died outside of war zones, the RSF said.
Their share has also increased because media professionals are reporting more and more on site after the lifting of travel restrictions as part of the corona pandemic.
Mexico therefore remained the most dangerous country: at least eleven journalists were murdered there.
The American double continent was also the most dangerous region for journalists overall: almost half of all media workers killed died there.
fek/dpa
