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Ed Webb

Number of journalists imprisoned worldwide hits new record: RSF | Freedom of the Press ... - 0 views

www.aljazeera.com/...-worldwide-hits-new-record-rsf

RSF journalists prison violence death repression Iran China Russia

shared by Ed Webb on 14 Dec 22 - No Cached
  • A total of 533 media professionals were imprisoned in 2022, up from 488 last year, the RSF’s Annual Press Freedom Review published on Wednesday found.
  • More than half are jailed in just five countries: China, which remains “the world’s biggest jailer of journalists” with 110, followed by Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31).
  • Among the 47 journalists currently in prison in Iran, 34 have been arrested since protests broke out in September over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Eighteen media workers, including eight from Ukraine, are currently imprisoned in Russia
  • The RSF said nearly 80 percent of media professionals killed around the world in 2022 were “deliberately targeted in connection with their work or the stories they were covering”, such as organised crime and corruption cases.
  • The NGO awarded its Prize for Courage on Monday to Iranian journalist Narges Mohammadi, who has been repeatedly imprisoned over the past decade.
  • Three-quarters of jailed journalists are concentrated in Asia and the Middle East, said the RSF.
Ed Webb

The Guardian view on the trial of Roberto Saviano: call off the dogs | Editorial | The ... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...erto-saviano-call-off-the-dogs

censorship libel journalism Italy fascism extremism opinion

shared by Ed Webb on 20 Nov 22 - Cached
  • The spectacle of Italy’s most powerful politicians ganging up to bully a writer in this way is one unworthy of a founder member state of the European Union. As the European court of human rights has noted, politicians should be expected to tolerate higher levels of criticism and scrutiny given their public position. The right to vociferous dissent on matters of public interest is an essential part of any functioning democracy. Ms Meloni’s lawyer has suggested that her lawsuit is justified because of the “hatred used” by Mr Saviano on the programme. Anyone familiar with the incendiary rhetoric deployed by Ms Meloni in relation to migration and other themes might be surprised at such a display of sensitivity on her part.
  • The impact of such vexatious claims, if allowed to stand, will be to further foster a climate of fear and self-censorship among editors and journalists in Italy.
  • Death threats following the 2006 publication of Gomorrah, Mr Saviano’s exposé of the Neapolitan mafia, have forced him into a life in hiding, and he requires a permanent police escort. In that context, it is unconscionable that Italy’s most senior politicians are happy to make him a high-profile legal target on such spurious grounds.
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  • Ms Meloni and her allies tend to roll their eyes when liberal critics warn that Italy has taken a nasty authoritarian turn. The vindictive hounding of a respected journalist, who had the temerity to call her a “bastard”, rather seems to back that thesis up. Ms Meloni, Mr Salvini and Mr Sangiuliano should call off the dogs and allow Mr Saviano to work in peace.
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