Authoritarian and anti-democratic regimes imprisoned a record number of journalists during 2012, with more than half locked away for allegedly being terrorists or threats to the state.

A total of 232 reporters were jailed this year or still in prison, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which keeps track of wrongful actions against members of the media. This year’s total surpassed the previous high mark of 185, set in 1996.

More than half of the 232 were imprisoned in just three countries. Turkey has the distinction of being the worst offender when it comes to jailing reporters, arresting 49. Second was Iran, with 45, and China third, with 32.

These three countries regularly used “vague anti-state laws to silence dissenting political views, including those expressed by ethnic minorities,” according to CPJ.

The media watchdog also noted that anti-state crimes, including terrorism, treason, and subversion, were the most common allegations brought against journalists in 2012, with 132 reporters being held around the world on such charges.

The longest held of the Turkish prisoners is Hatice Duman, the editor of a socialist newspaper, who was arrested on April 12, 2003, and detained without trial. In May 2011 she was convicted of “attempting to undermine the constitutional order by force.” In October 2012, Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals upheld her sentence of life imprisonment.

Other nations singled out for arresting numerous journalists include Eritrea, Syria, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Number Of Jailed Journalists Sets Global Record (Committee to Protect Journalists)

2012 Prison Census: 232 Journalists Jailed Worldwide (Committee to Protect Journalists)

Turkey's Press Freedom Crisis (Committee to Protect Journalists)

 Kill a Journalist and Get Away with It…The 12 Worst Countries (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)