India has highest number of journalists murdered in 2020 for their work: Committee to Protect Journalists report
India has jailed seven journalists in the past year, while five journalists were reported killed because of their work
A key finding in the report states that “India has the highest number of journalists – four – confirmed to have been murdered in retaliation for their work.
A key finding in the report states that “India has the highest number of journalists – four – confirmed to have been murdered in retaliation for their work.
New York: As per the latest ‘Prison Census’ by New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 293 journalists were jailed worldwide in 2021, a new record compared to a revised total of 280 in 2020. The census also notes that at least 24 were reported as “murdered,” while 18 others died in “circumstances too murky to determine whether they were specific targets”.
Of this tally, India has jailed seven journalists in the past year, while five journalists were reported killed because of their work. A key finding in the report states that “India has the highest number of journalists – four – confirmed to have been murdered in retaliation for their work. A fifth was killed while covering a protest.”
Avinash Jha of BNN News – killed between November 9-12Chennakeshavalu of EV5 – killed on August 8Manish Kumar Singh of Sudarshan TV – killed between August 8-10Sulabh Srivastava of ABP News – killed on June 13Raman Kashyap of Sadhna Plus TV – killed on October 3-4 while covering a protest
The seven journalists who have been imprisoned are Aasif Sultan of Kashmir Narrator, Tanveer Warsi of Prabhat Sanket, Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha, Manan Dar, Rajeev Sharma and Siddique Kappan.
According to the methodology of the report, the census “accounts only for journalists in government custody and does not include those who have disappeared or are held captive by non-State actors”. It also does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year.
