Moscow, Dec 15 (UNI) A record number of journalists were imprisoned in course of performing their duty in 2020 because of the restrictions on news coverage about civil unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, an international human rights watchdog reported on Tuesday.
As of December 1, at least 274 journalists were jailed, which is the highest number since Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) began collecting data in the early 1990s. This year is the fifth in a row with at least 250 journalists imprisoned.
"It’s shocking and appalling that we are seeing a record number of journalists imprisoned in the midst of a global pandemic," Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) Executive Director Joel Simon said.