Israel Ranks Third-Worst Jailer of Journalists as Global Imprisonments Persist
“For the fifth year in a row, more than 300 journalists were imprisoned worldwide as of the end of 2025, according to CPJ’s annual prison census. These record-setting numbers reflect growing authoritarianism and escalating numbers of armed conflicts worldwide. Often, journalists are held under cruel and life-threatening conditions—a ‘cemetery of the living,’ as one freed Palestinian prisoner described it,” the report said.
Israel had 29 journalists behind bars as of December 1, accounting for 9% of the global total. The CPJ noted that Israel, the only country on the worst jailers’ list considered a democracy, began rapidly detaining Palestinian journalists following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023.
“Often, journalists are imprisoned on undisclosed charges or held without charge in arbitrary detention—in contravention of international law. While Israeli citizens enjoy some civil rights and freedoms, legal experts identify a radically different standard of justice for Palestinians in its occupied territory. Israel arrested more than 90 journalists during the course of the war,” the census added.
China remained the world’s worst jailer for the third consecutive year, with 50 journalists imprisoned, representing 15% of the global total. Myanmar rose to second place with 30 journalists detained, up from third in 2024.
The CPJ found that the ten worst jailers account for nearly 75% of the 330 journalists imprisoned worldwide. Azerbaijan entered the top ten for the first time since 2018, detaining 24 journalists—almost double the previous year—during a months-long crackdown on independent media.
The report also noted that the number of imprisoned journalists in Russia, Myanmar, Belarus, Egypt, and Eritrea has remained largely consistent with five-year trends.
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