Over 300 journalists behind bars for fifth straight year: watchdog

NEW YORK: The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide for their work was 330 in the final month of 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday, the fifth consecutive year the count has exceeded 300.

China held 50 prisoners as of December 1, followed by Myanmar with 30 and then Israel, which detained 29 Palestinian journalists, the press freedom watchdog said in its annual report.

Next was Russia with 27 prisoners, of which five were Ukrainian, then Belarus with 25 and Azerbaijan with 24, the CPJ said.