Chinese President Xi Jinping today figured in a US press censorship list, which also included an al-Qaeda linked Syrian terror group, Muslim Brotherhood supporters and Pakistan's Baloch armed groups.
Myanmar President Thein Sein marked an exit from the list of 'Predators of Freedom of Information' for the year 2013 for his country's efforts towards press freedom in recent times.
The list was released today by 'Reporters Without Borders' (RWB) on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.
The updated list of 39 'predators of freedom of information' includes state heads, politicians, religious leaders, militias and criminal organisations involved in censoring, imprison, kidnap, torture and killing journalists and other news providers.
"These predators of freedom of information are responsible for the worst abuses against the news media and journalists," RWB Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said.
"They are becoming more and more effective. In 2012, the level of violence against news providers was unprecedented and a record number of journalists were killed," Deloire added.
The five new 'predators' that have been added to the list include new Chinese President Xi, Syrian Jihadi group Jabhat al-Nusra members and supporters of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Pakistan's Baloch armed groups and Maldives' religious extremists.
Four 'predators' who have marked an exit are former Somali information and communications minister Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed, Burmese President Thein Sein, the ETA group and the Hamas and Palestinian Authority security forces.
"It is no surprise that Xi Jinping his predecessor Hu Jintao's place as predator. The change of person has not in any way affected the repressive system developed by China's Communist Party," RWB said in a statement.
In Pakistan, Baloch armed groups, including Balochistan Liberation Army, Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Musallah Defa Army, have turned the south-western province of Balochistan into one of the world's most dangerous regions for journalists, it said.
