The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide for their work was 330 in the final month of 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday, making it the fifth consecutive year the count has exceeded 300.
China held 50 prisoners as of December 1, followed by Myanmar with 30, and then Israel, which detained 29 Palestinian journalists, the press freedom watchdog said in its annual report.
Next was Russia with 27, five of whom are Ukrainian, then Belarus with 25, and Azerbaijan with 24.
The number is the third highest total recorded by the CPJ since its census began in 1992 and just short of the record 384 journalists in prison for their work at the end of 2024.
“These record-setting numbers reflect growing authoritarianism and escalating numbers of armed conflicts worldwide,” the CPJ said in its report.
The New York-based NGO said that almost half of the imprisoned journalists had not been convicted of a crime. Of those convicted, more than a third were serving prison sentences of over five years.
In 2025, Asia remained the region with the highest number of imprisoned journalists at 110. Beyond China and Myanmar, Vietnam held at least 16, Bangladesh – 4, India – 3, and the Philippines had one.
Not in the tally is Filipino community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been in prison for six years, and was recently convicted on terrorism financing charges. In Negros, there is also the recent arrest of Negros Occidental-based journalist Erwin “Ambo” Delilan, who was apparently never informed of any complaint against him, and there are complaints that his arrest was timed to deny him access to legal counsel.
The continued imprisonment of journalists continues to be a nagging global issue, especially in a world where fake news and so-called influencers are continuously degrading the quality of the news reports that are available to the general public. Governments that either target journalists, or fail to protect its media workers from the weaponization of the law, have to realize that its people are the ultimate losers in a world where journalism has been allowed to be silenced by threats, intimidation, and a weaponized legal system.*
