The Committee to Protect Journalists has launched the #freethepress campaign urging the unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists.
It argues that given the COVID-19 pandemic, the approximately 250 journalists currently jailed around the world--according to its 2019 prison census--should be immediately released. "Journalism must not carry a death sentence," said CPJ.
In an open letter to world leaders, CPJ points out that those journalists have no control over their surroundings and are frequently denied the necessary medical care.
“People deprived of their liberty, and those living or working in enclosed environments in their close proximity, are likely to be more vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease than the general population," the World Health Organization has said.
