May 3 is the 14th World Press Freedom Day. According to Reporters Without Borders (RWB), more than 130 journalists are imprisoned around the world, and 42 have been killed in the last year, a death toll at its highest since 1995.
Most journalists were killed in Asia and the Middle East. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 25 journalists were killed in Iraq alone.
RWB reports that “766 [other journalists] were arrested, at least 1,460 physically attacked or threatened and 501 media censored.”
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Occupying the top position is Iraq. In Cuba, following what the CPJ calls Fidel Castro’s “brutal crackdown” 29 journalists are behind bars, some serving terms of up to 27 years.
Zimbabwe, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Haiti, the West Bank and Gaza, and Russia also occupy places on the list.