Israel ranks second only to China as the country jailing the most journalists globally, according to a report released Thursday.
The number of journalists held by Israel has more than doubled from last year, with 43 behind bars, all of whom are Palestinians, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ.
The annual CPJ report, which represents a snapshot of journalists jailed for their work as of Dec. 1, 2024, found 361 journalists behind bars around the world. That’s the second-highest number that CPJ has documented since it started keeping track in 1992.
“That increased criminalization that we’re seeing of journalists is a deliberate tactic by governments to silence journalists,” CPJ’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg told VOA.
With Israel, the number of journalists in custody reflects a broader crackdown on the media throughout the Israel-Hamas war, according to Ginsberg.
“What we’ve seen since the start of the war is a pattern of censorship by Israel,” Ginsberg said. “Unfortunately, this imprisonment number is part of that pattern.”
The Israel-Hamas war has been the deadliest conflict on record for the media, with at least 165 journalists — mostly Palestinians — killed, according to CPJ. Israel has also blocked broadcasts by the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera inside the country and shuttered its bureau in the occupied West Bank, citing issues of national security.
The Palestinian Authority has also suspended Al Jazeera broadcasts for alleged incitement. The action came after the network covered disputes between the territory’s security forces and militants.
Israel’s foreign ministry and military did not reply to VOA’s emails requesting comment. The Israeli military has previously denied targeting journalists.
On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that is scheduled to come into effect on Sunday.
“I really hope that this ceasefire brings a complete and radical change to the treatment of journalists and the treatment of information coming out of Gaza and the West Bank,” Ginsberg said.
But, she said, governments often use emergency situations to justify the detentions of journalists, and sometimes those detentions continue even after the emergency has ended.
China maintained its status as the worst jailer of journalists in the world, with 50 behind bars. But that’s likely an undercount, CPJ said, since censorship and surveillance mean families are often afraid to talk about a relative’s detention.
Another lesson from this year’s census is just how quickly press freedom can decay, according to Ginsberg. “The speed with which we can lose our freedoms is a really important takeaway,” she said, pointing to Hong Kong as an example.
Hong Kong was once lauded as a press freedom stronghold, but media freedom has rapidly deteriorated in the city after Beijing’s national security law came into effect in 2020.
In Hong Kong, the pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai has been on trial for more than a year on national security charges that are widely viewed as politically motivated. The British national faces life in prison on charges that he rejects.
“His health has gotten much worse, as you can expect when you put a 77-year-old man in solitary confinement for four years. But his spirit is holding strong. His mind is holding strong,” Lai’s son Sebastien told VOA in November.
A spokesperson at China’s Washington embassy told VOA that the Chinese government protects freedom of speech. “The achievements made in the development of China’s news industry are obvious to all,” Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson, said in the emailed statement.
Included in the 361 journalists jailed globally are reporters and contributors from VOA and its sister outlets. They are held in Myanmar, Belarus, Russia, Vietnam and Azerbaijan, all of which rank among the top 10 worst jailers of journalists.
“Journalism is not a crime, yet journalists worldwide — including many from USAGM’s networks — are increasingly persecuted for reporting the truth,” USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett told VOA in a statement.
“Their harassment must end. USAGM demands the immediate release of all who are wrongly imprisoned, and the right to report without fear of retribution,” Bennett added.
Myanmar ranked third on the 2024 prison census, with 35 journalists behind bars, including Sithu Aung Myint, who contributes to VOA’s Burmese service.
Since a 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has embarked on a harsh crackdown on independent media, forcing many to flee into exile. Those who stay risk arrest.
Myanmar was followed closely by Belarus, where the government jailed 31 journalists, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk.
Two American journalists — RFE/RL’s Alsu Kurmasheva and the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich — were released from wrongful detention in Russia in a 2024 prisoner swap, but Russia still ranks fifth-worst, with 30 journalists behind bars, including two RFE/RL journalists.
Almost half of those held by Russia are Ukrainian, according to CPJ.
In sixth place is Egypt, with 17 journalists behind bars. Eritrea, Iran and Vietnam tied for seventh place, with 16 jailed journalists each. Four Radio Free Asia contributors and one VOA contributor are jailed in Vietnam.
Azerbaijan ranks eighth on the census, with 13 journalists behind bars as of Dec. 1. After the census was taken, one of those journalists was released, but six more were jailed, bringing the current total to 18, according to CPJ.
“Azerbaijan has been cracking down on independent media for well over a decade,” Ginsberg said. “It doesn’t often get the attention that it deserves.”
Among those jailed in Azerbaijan is economist and RFE/RL journalist Farid Mehralizada.
“My arrest highlighted how authoritarian governments, like Azerbaijan’s, fear the power of numbers and the reality they reveal through statistics,” Mehralizada told VOA in December, in a message relayed via his wife.
Rounding out the top 10 jailers are Turkey, with 11 behind bars, and Saudi Arabia, with 10.
Not all countries jail high numbers of journalists — but that’s not always a good sign, Ginsberg said.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, CPJ counted three journalists jailed in Venezuela, and one each in Nicaragua, Cuba and Guatemala. And when CPJ conducted the census, there were no journalists jailed in Mexico — but Mexico is still one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist outside war zones.
“In some cases, a low number of jailed journalists in a repressive regime is actually an indication of how successful that regime has been in repressing them,” Ginsberg said.
