International
China, Israel and Burma, the countries in the world with the most journalists imprisoned in 2024
China, Israel and Burma were the countries that imprisoned the most journalists in 2024, a year that, according to the annual census prepared by the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) published this Thursday, left at least 361 communication professionals under bars worldwide.
The figure for last year, for which it was counted until December 1, is the second highest since the CPJ has records, and is close to the record of 370 journalists imprisoned in 2022.
Last year, China (50 people), Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (43) and Burma (35) were the places where more journalists were imprisoned for their work, followed by Belarus (31), Russia (30), Egypt (17), Eritrea (16), Iran (16), Vietnam (16) and Azerbaijan (13), according to the CPJ.
“The main causes of imprisonment of journalists in 2024 – the year in which more than a hundred new imprisonments occurred – were continued authoritarian repression (China, Burma, Vietnam, Belarus, Russia), war (Israel, Russia) and political or economic instability (Egypt, Nicaragua, Bangladesh),” explains this organization, based in New York, in its annual report.
Throughout this document, the CPJ recalled that countries such as China, Belarus or Burma usually appear in its classification, and criticized Israel’s role as a jailer of journalists, especially since the beginning of the war in Gaza, on October 7, 2023, more than 15 months ago.
“Israel, a multi-party parliamentary democracy that rarely appeared in the CPJ’s annual prison census (…) catapulted to second place last year by trying to silence the coverage of the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the organization said.
Politics, human rights and corruption are the thematic areas covered by most of the journalists imprisoned last year, according to the CPJ. A record where sports journalism and crimes/events appear with the least number of professionals under bars.
As for the alleged crimes committed by the communicators, the vast majority was accused of working to attack the Government (228 cases), others were accused of working driven by some kind of ‘reprisals’ (57), of spreading false news (41) or defamation (16), mainly.
In almost half of the cases of the 361 imprisoned journalists, the sentence is still to be resolved; while in 17% of them they were sentenced to sentences between 1-5 years; 15% between 5-10 years; and another 15% have sentences of more than 10 years.
The 2024 CPJ census also shows that 94% of the imprisoned journalists are part of the local press and that they are usually (in 61% of cases) on staff with some of these media.
In addition, 84% of journalists taken to prison last year were men.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
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