Issue No. 11
14 December 2021
The number of journalists jailed around the world set another record in 2021. According to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) 2021 prison census, “China remains the world’s worst jailer of journalists for the third year in a row, with 50 behind bars”. https://cpj.org/reports/2021/12/number-of-journalists-behind-bars-reaches-global-high/.
Secondly, Mr. Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily a now defunct pro-democracy newspaper has been sentenced to 13 months in jail for participating in a vigil marking the 1989 Tiananmen massacre in Beijing. “The 74-year-old was found guilty last week of inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly”. On June 17 500 police raided the headquarters of the newspaper. Dozens of computers from the newspapers offices were confiscated by the police , bank accounts frozen and at least seven of its senior staff arrested.
China has adopted a non-interventionist approach in its economic dealings particularly with Africa, preferring a “see no evil hear no evil” political approach. There are growing concerns that China’s attitude towards the media and its relationship with some countries, especially those with adverse track record towards the media, could further worsen the treatment of journalists.
- What are the implications to the media and treatment of journalists moving forward particularly as China expands its influential Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to various countries across the world.
- Moreover, China remains the most significant economic partner in Africa. Many countries in Africa have strained relationships with the media including countries such as Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe amongst others. What are the implications of China's troubled relationship with the media in Africa?
Africa Asia Dialogues (Afrasid) is available for analysis and commentary