Arrests of Indian journalists on the rise, especially in the past decade

The number of journalist imprisonments and murders are  on the rise, especially in the past decade.

There has been a marked uptick in imprisonments and killings of journalists after 2012 compared to the years before. The CPJ database has recorded data from 1992 onwards.

Between 1992 and 2001, 17 journalists in India were murdered and two imprisoned. There were four arrests and 16 killings in the decade ending 2011. Since 2012, about 30 journalists have lost their lives and 33 have found themselves behind bars. Seven journalists were incarcerated in 2021 and 2022, the highest in three decades.