2012 was a record-breaking year. Unfortunately, one of the records broken was the number of photographers, editors and reporters jailed. Smashing the previous high of 185 imprisoned, 232 journalists began the countdown to New Year’s in jail.
While these prisons are scattered in 27 different countries, most of the 232 convicted journalists are there on counts of terrorism. The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, an organization devoted to “defending journalists worldwide,” takes an annual census to determine the number of journalists killed or jailed each year. They count 965 journalists killed since 1992.
“Freedom of expression in all its forms and manifestations is a fundamental and inalienable right of all individuals,” states the CPJ website in its Campaign against the Criminalization of Speech. Americans should be familiar with this belief; the freedom of speech is among one of the first rights protected in the Bill of Rights. However, ‘free speech’ is often restricted internationally, as 232 journalists, jailed for expressing their thoughts, can attest to.
CPJ is fighting against this injustice, as well as a litany of others, including imprisonment without standing trial. However, they’re not working alone; CPJ is allied with groups such as Human Rights Watch and the Center for Justice and International Law. Volunteers are urged to get involved, whether that means spreading awareness over Twitter or learning more about criminal defamation laws.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/11/world/world-imprisoned-journalists/index.html