RSF: Authoritarian Regimes Increasingly Imprison Journalists
The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its Annual Report on Abuses Against Journalists. The report documents cases of killings, detentions, disappearances, and hostage-taking of journalists worldwide. The highest number of journalist killings was recorded in Mexico (11), while the largest “prison countries” for journalists are China, Myanmar, Iran, Vietnam, and Belarus. All cases of journalists being taken hostage occurred in the Middle East, with terrorist organizations responsible (some hostages have been missing for decades). One of the two journalists who disappeared in 2022 went missing near Kyiv in March.
The most dangerous topics for journalists are investigations into organized crime (mafia, drug trafficking, banditry), corruption (abuse of power, influence peddling, bribery, criticism of government policy), and land grabs and deforestation by large industrial groups. The proportion of arrested and killed female journalists is rising. The Russian military “special operation” is one of the reasons for the overall increase in journalist killings this year. The number of journalists killed during this conflict has risen and now accounts for about 35% of the total (compared to 32% last year). This conflict also doubled the number of journalists killed outside their home country: of 8 journalists, 5 were foreign reporters.
The sentence of Ivan Safronov was the harshest recorded by RSF in 2022.
Detentions: 533
As of December 1, 2022, 533 journalists worldwide were imprisoned for their professional activities. RSF has never before recorded such a high number of detained media workers. The increase (+13.8% in 2022, after a 20% rise in 2021) confirms, according to RSF, that authoritarian regimes continue to jail journalists who get in their way, often without even bothering with a trial. Sometimes, however, legal proceedings themselves become a form of torture. For example, Cameroonian journalist Amadou Vamoulké has been taken from his cell to the Special Criminal Court in Yaoundé 137 times since his arrest in 2016, including 57 times in 2022. These hearings have yet to result in a verdict. Authorities accuse him of embezzlement but have not presented any substantial evidence. Now 72 years old, he suffers from numerous untreated illnesses.
China, where censorship and surveillance have reached extreme levels, remains the world’s largest prison for journalists, with 110 behind bars. Next is Myanmar (62 journalists) following the February 2021 coup. Iran (47) is third, reaching this position just a month after mass protests began. Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31) follow. More than half (54%) of all imprisoned journalists worldwide are held in these five countries.
The largest number of journalists from a single newsroom imprisoned is in China. Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-closed Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, and six of his staff have been charged with “collusion with foreign forces” under the National Security Law. All face life imprisonment.
In Algeria, a journalist was accused of terrorist group membership simply for requesting an interview via SMS. Mohamed Mouloudj spent 13 months in pre-trial detention for asking for an interview with the leader of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which is labeled a terrorist organization.
Repression also sharply intensified in Russia in February 2022. Almost all independent media were banned, blocked, and/or labeled “foreign agents.” Most remaining journalists in the country are forced to work semi-legally. They now face up to 15 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the Russian army. Currently, at least 18 journalists are imprisoned, 8 of whom are Ukrainians arrested in Crimea.
The sentence of Ivan Safronov—22 years in prison for disclosing “state secrets” that were already public online—was the harshest recorded by RSF in 2022.
More Female Journalists Arrested
The number of imprisoned female journalists is at an all-time high: 78 are currently behind bars. In 2022, this number rose by a record 27.9% (+20% in 2021). Women now make up 14.6% of imprisoned journalists, compared to less than 7% five years ago. This reflects both the growing feminization of the profession and the fact that women are just as vulnerable to repression as their male colleagues, according to RSF.
Killings: 57
After two years of relative calm and historically low numbers, 2022 saw an 18.8% increase in journalists killed on the job, totaling 57. For comparison, 48 were killed in 2021 and 50 in 2020. The share of female journalists killed in the line of duty tripled over two years (12% vs. 4%).
The “special operation” is one reason for the rise in deaths. The number of journalists killed during it now accounts for about 35% of the total (compared to 32% last year). This conflict also doubled the number of journalists killed outside their home country: of 8 journalists, 5 were foreign reporters. Additionally, 6 out of 10 journalists (64.9%) were killed in countries considered peaceful in 2022. This is partly due to the end of Covid-19 travel restrictions and journalists returning to field reporting.
The highest number of killings was recorded in Mexico (11), nearly 20% of all media workers killed worldwide. Over the past decade, at least 80 journalists have died in Mexico (46 in the last five years). According to RSF, the Americas (North and South) saw the highest number of journalist killings in 20 years, with 27 deaths in 2022. Other Latin American countries where at least one journalist was killed in 2022 include Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Chile, and Paraguay.
Most of these killings followed a similar pattern: contract killers targeted journalists investigating local politics, organized crime, or human rights, often near their homes or workplaces. In Iran, a different method is often used—denial of medical care in prison. For example, journalist and writer Baktash Abtin died this way.
About 80% of media workers killed in 2022 were deliberately targeted because of their profession and the stories they were working on.
Most Dangerous Topics for Journalists
- Investigating organized crime (mafia, drug trafficking, banditry)
- Corruption (abuse of power, influence peddling, bribery, criticism of government policy, etc.)
- Land grabs and deforestation by large industrial groups
Hostages: 65
(RSF considers a journalist a hostage if they are held by a non-state actor)
Currently, at least 65 journalists and media workers are being held hostage worldwide. The total number of hostages remains the same as last year. All cases of journalists being taken hostage occurred in the Middle East, except for Olivier Dubois, who was kidnapped in Africa. ISIS (banned in Russia) is responsible for 28 kidnappings, other terrorist groups like Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) for 14, and the Houthis for 10. Many kidnapped journalists (such as Austin Tice, John Cantlie, Muhib al-Nuwati) have been missing for years, if not decades.
Disappearances: 2
In 2022, 2 journalists disappeared. One was reporter Dmytro Khilyuk, who went missing north of Kyiv in March. The other was Mexican journalist Roberto Carlos Flores Mendoza. A request for information about Khilyuk’s disappearance was sent to the Russian Investigative Committee, but no response has been received. Mendoza’s disappearance brings the number of missing journalists in Mexico to 27. In total, 49 journalists have disappeared worldwide over the past 20 years.
Methodology
The Annual Report on Abuses Against Journalists has been compiled by RSF since 1995. RSF includes only those journalists who meet its criteria: anyone who regularly or professionally gathers, processes, and disseminates information and ideas by any means of communication, serving the public interest and fundamental rights of society, in accordance with the principles of freedom of expression and professional ethics. You can read the full report here.