The Reporters Without Borders released their annual report on December 9, 2025, indicating that China has the largest number of journalists imprisoned, making it the world’s biggest jailer of journalists. As of December 1st, the Xi Jinping regime had detained 113 media workers, with an additional 8 individuals detained in Hong Kong, bringing the total to 121. This number surpasses the combined total of imprisoned journalists in the second-ranked Russia (48 people) and the third-ranked Myanmar (47 people).
By December 1st, 503 journalists were detained across 47 countries globally. The report reveals that in terms of foreign journalists imprisoned, Russia leads with 26 individuals, followed by Israel with 20 individuals.
The organization listed the detained media personnel in Hong Kong, including Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai, former CEO of Next Digital Cheung Kim Hung, former Vice-President of Apple Daily Chan Pui Man, former Chief Editor Law Wai Kwong, former Executive Chief Editor Lam Man Chung, former Executive Chief Editor of the English version Fung Wai Kwong, former columnist Yeung Ching Kei, and former journalist of Stand News Ho Kwai Lan.
Prior to Jimmy Lai’s 78th birthday on December 4th, the organization once again called on democratic countries to ensure his release before he meets his end in prison.
Furthermore, the report does not include the recent arrest on December 6th by the Hong Kong police’s National Security Department of current affairs commentator Wong Ngan Yin, who is accused of “obstructing investigations that endanger national security” and “issuing seditious publications”. He was denied bail by designated judge Su Hui De under the National Security Law, and his case is postponed until January 20th next year.
In the section on China, the report specifically mentions persecuted journalists, including Li Yanhe (pen name Fuchatu), a host of Taiwan International Broadcasting Station and founder-editor-in-chief of Taiwan Banners Culture. On February 17th this year, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison and deprived of political rights for one year by a court in Shanghai, including the loss of voting rights and freedom of speech.
A few months after Li’s sentencing, journalist Zhang Zhan, who has been detained since August 28th last year, was sentenced to 4 years in prison on September 19th, marking her second imprisonment. Previously, she was detained in 2020 for reporting on the situation in Wuhan during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, Hong Kong ranked 140th out of 180 countries and regions in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders, scoring 39.86 points. This marks a drop of 5 places from last year, returning to the ranking level of 2023, although the score is 5 points lower than 2023 (44.86).
Among the 5 categories, Hong Kong was classified for the first time as the worst category of “very bad situation”, matching the level of mainland China, which ranked 178th.
Reporters Without Borders previously pointed out that after the Chinese Communist Party aggressively pushed the National Security Law for Hong Kong in 2020 to suppress independent voices, press freedom in Hong Kong experienced an unprecedented setback. Since 2021, the Hong Kong government has arrested more than a dozen journalists on national security-related charges. The introduction of the “National Security Law” in 2024 further expanded the legal threats faced by journalists. The Hong Kong Journalists Association stated last year that dozens of journalists were systematically harassed.