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
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
A truck loaded with explosives exploded on Saturday near a police station in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, close to the Venezuelan border, leaving 14 people injured in an attack that occurred six days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration.
The blast took place in the early hours of the morning and was allegedly carried out by members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who detonated a vehicle packed with explosives. According to the latest report from the Colombian Army, the attack injured 11 police officers and three civilians.
The explosion involved around 15 explosive devices, and two of the wounded officers are in critical condition and “fighting for their lives,” said William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, the region where the attack occurred.
The incident comes amid Colombia’s worst wave of violence in the past decade, with armed groups expanding their presence in several areas of the country.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack carried out in Cúcuta against our National Police. Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia or break the determination of Colombians to live in peace and security,” De la Espriella said in a post on X.
The conservative lawyer, who has been described as a far-right figure, will take office on August 7, replacing Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president. The inauguration ceremony will be held in Cali, the country’s third-largest city and a frequent target of attacks by armed groups.
The United Nations condemned what it described as an “indiscriminate attack” that caused not only injuries but also “fear and distress among the population.”
De la Espriella has repeatedly warned about an alleged plot against his life. Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro, who is currently visiting Cuba, has not commented on the attack. During his visit, Petro met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to discuss what Havana describes as the United States’ “policy of suffocation” toward the island.
International
EU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
The arrival of around 60,000 migrants from Morocco to Spain’s Ceuta enclave triggered a major European Union crisis on Friday, after Madrid described the situation as an “attack” on its territorial integrity.
At least 34 people died while attempting to reach the Spanish territory, according to local authorities.
Hundreds of migrants had begun arriving in Ceuta earlier in the week, either by swimming across the border or climbing security fences. Most of those who entered were young men and teenagers.
However, the situation escalated dramatically early Thursday morning, when the number of arrivals surged within a few hours, reaching nearly 60,000 people. According to the Spanish government, the vast majority of them — around 48,000 migrants — had returned to Morocco by Friday evening.
The episode represents one of the most serious migration crises faced by the autonomous city of Ceuta, which has a population of around 84,000 residents, in recent years.
Several European countries responded strongly to the crisis, with Italy announcing the temporary suspension of the Schengen free movement agreement with Spain, a measure supported by Finland and Denmark.
“The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary decision to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe’s borders,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X.
Italy’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the country had tightened controls on maritime and air entry points from Spain, but clarified that the measure would not affect Spanish or European citizens traveling to Italy.
The additional checks will specifically target non-European citizens arriving from Spain, according to the ministry.
The measure will remain in effect for one month starting Saturday, authorities said.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares responded to the Italian announcement through a statement on X, as European governments continued discussions over the consequences of the migration crisis.
International
Chuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday announced legislation to establish a federal anti-corruption office aimed at strengthening oversight of the executive branch and preventing future presidents from using the White House for personal financial gain.
Schumer said the proposal was prompted by what he described as President Donald Trump’s misuse of the presidencyto benefit his family’s business interests.
“In just 18 months, the Trump family has made more than $4 billion by exploiting the influence of the presidency,” Schumer alleged.
The New York senator also argued that the alleged corruption has had direct economic consequences for American households.
“The same corrupt practices Trump is using to pocket billions of dollars are also forcing Americans to pay, on average, $3,100 more each year because of the rising cost of living,” he said.
The legislation was introduced alongside Democratic Senators Alex Padilla, Jeff Merkley, and Andy Kim.
According to Schumer, the bill has two primary objectives: “First, to return money to the American people. Second, to ensure that no one can ever steal from them again.”
He added that the proposal would create legal mechanisms allowing citizens to seek the recovery of funds allegedly obtained through government corruption.
“The fact that Trump stole money from the American people does not make it his. Americans deserve to get that money back,” Schumer said.
Under the proposed legislation, any U.S. citizen—as well as state attorneys general acting on behalf of their residents—would be authorized to file civil lawsuits to recover funds allegedly acquired through corrupt practices by public officials.
“Our bill would empower any individual, including a state attorney general acting on behalf of the people of that state, to bring legal action to recover money stolen from the public through government corruption,” Schumer said.
The measure is expected to face debate in Congress, where Republicans and Democrats remain deeply divided over executive accountability and the scope of presidential powers.
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
EU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
Chuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
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