CPJ: Saudi Arabia is one of countries most violating freedom of expression

WORLD, Dec. 11 (YPA) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has described Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s most violating countries for freedom of expression.

The Committee ranked Saudi Arabia eighth in the world after Russia in arresting journalists, while detaining 14 journalists. In addition, the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi had the effect of intimidating independent journalists.

“The Saudi regime, under the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deliberately suppressed journalists by force, after several waves of arrests that began to increase since 2017, and reached their climax in 2019,” the committee said in a report issued recently.

The report stated that the number of imprisoned journalists in the world reached a new record in 2021. Repressive regimes in Asia, Europe, and Africa are relying on new laws on security and technology to crack down hard on the independent press.
2021 has been a particularly bleak year for press freedom advocates.

The number of journalists imprisoned because of their work has reached 293, which is a new record, and more than the number of imprisoned journalists in 2020, which reached 280, according to the report.

YPA