Number of Jailed Journalists Remains High

320 journalists were being held in prison as of December 1, 2023, according to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This number was the second highest recorded by CPJ since the organization began collecting this data in 1992, following only after 2022 when 367 journalists were incarcerated as of Dec. 1.

At the end of 2023, China had the largest number of journalists being held behind bars (44). This is likely a low estimate, according to the report, since censorship makes it difficult to determine the exact number of imprisoned journalists. Together with China, Myanmar (43 imprisoned journalists) and Belarus (28) accounted for more than one-third of total imprisoned journalists (35.8 percent) as of the day of the census.

According to the CPJ, many journalists continue to face clampdowns on their freedom even after they’ve been let out of prison. “This not only affects their livelihoods, but allows repressive governments to continue silencing their voices”, the organization says.