Freedom of the press is still under attack inside the world's despotic regimes, including China and Fidel Castro's tormented Cuba.
More than 130 journalists were behind bars at the end of last year because of their work, and China was the world's leading jailer, according to a watchdog group. With 39 journalists imprisoned, it was the fifth year in a row that China topped the list, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report being released Thursday in Washington.Posted by Alan at March 11, 2004 12:12 AMWorldwide, it said, there were 136 journalists in prison - the same number as the previous year. "The number of imprisoned journalists remained stable in 2003 because there were significant drops in Nepal and Turkey, coupled with an enormous roundup in Cuba," said the report. Cuba ranked second, with 29 journalists jailed since last March.
"Castro launched that crackdown right after the war began, so he didn't get castigated as much as he might have if the whole world hadn't been riveted on Iraq," said Ann Cooper, executive director of the New York-based group.
Via The Guardian
Full report via the Committee to Protect Journalists