NEW YORK: Amidst a months-long war, Israel emerged for the first time as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 17 recorded behind bars as of December 1, 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) annual prison census.

This is the highest number of Palestinian journalists in detention since CPJ began documenting arrests in 1992 and the first time that Israel has ranked in sixth place on the census. The ranking comes as more than 80 journalists have been killed since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7.

Globally, 320 journalists were imprisoned in connection with their work on December 1, 2023, the second highest recorded since CPJ started recording this data. The previous record was set in 2022, when more than 360 appeared in CPJ’s database. In 2023, the top three jailers of journalists—China (44 behind bars), Myanmar (43), and Belarus (28)—held more than a third (35.8%) of those incarcerated on the day of the census. Russia (22) and Vietnam (19) rounded out the top five jailers of journalists.

“Our research shows how entrenched authoritarianism is globally, with governments emboldened to stamp out critical reporting and prevent public accountability. Meanwhile, Israel’s standing in CPJ’s 2023 prison census is evidence that a fundamental democratic norm—press freedom—is fraying as Israel exploits draconian methods to silence Palestinian journalists. This practice must stop,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ’s chief executive officer.

Asia remains the region with the highest number of journalists in jail, per the 2023 prison census. In addition to the leading jailers—China, Myanmar, and Vietnam—journalists were also behind bars in India, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. India’s April 2024 election can be expected to be a test for press freedom in a country where anti-terror charges, dangerous legislation, and routine raids of newsrooms have become the norm.

To address the challenges, CPJ provides journalists with financial support to cover the cost of legal fees, as well as resources intended to help journalists and newsrooms better prepare for or mitigate threats of legal harassment and action. The organization also makes concerted efforts to advocate for the release of journalists like those previously mentioned, whose cases could revert or stem the tide of criminalization.