While applauding the Washington Post for its resolve in helping to obtain the release of their reporter Jason Rezaian from an Iranian jail and citing the importance of a free press and a transparent court system in securing justice, Al Tompkins of The Poynter Institute, January 16, 2016, reminds the reader that there are 198 journalists still incarcerated around the world without support that could secure their release.
Turkey is one of the leaders in jailing journalists and last week arrested two Kurdish journalists in southeast. The government charges that the two were working for a Kurdish terrorist group which both journalists deny. (Committee to Protect Journalists, January 12, 2016)
China has 44 journalists in detention, more than any other country. It is risky in China to report on sensitive issues and to publish information that runs counter to the government’s official line. Wang Xiaolu was arrested on August 25 for stories about securities and futures trading (Committee to Protect Journalists, December 15, 2015)