President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi accused of using pretext of national security to clamp down on dissent as number imprisoned reaches 23 at start of December

There are more journalists imprisoned in Egypt this year than ever before as the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi continues to “use the pretext of national security to clamp down on dissent”, according to analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The number of journalists imprisoned in Egypt at the start of December was 23 – up from 12 a year ago – making it the second worst country for jailing journalists in the world. It is the highest figure for Egypt since the CPJ began recording the number of journalists jailed and as recently as 2012 the country did not imprison any.

Turkey also dramatically increased the number of journalists it locked up during the year, doubling those in prison to 14.

In September, Egypt pardoned two al-Jazeera journalists, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, having arrested them in 2013 along with Australian colleague Peter Greste, who was deported last year. However, Egypt introduced a law in August making “false” reporting of terror attacks illegal and the CPJ said that “perhaps nowhere has the climate for the press deteriorated more rapidly than in Egypt”.

Egypt imposes anti-terror law that punishes 'false' reporting of attacks Read more

Prior to 2014, Turkey had been the world’s worst jailer of journalists, but last year released dozens. However, the country has launched a renewed clampdown on foreign reporting and locally based media as its battle with Syrian Islamic groups and Kurdish rebels has intensified. Turkish authorities continue to hold Vice journalist Mohammed Rasool, following his arrest in October along with UK-based colleagues Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury, who were released in early September.

China remains the worst country for locking up journalists for their activities, with 49 in jail – accounting for a quarter of the total tracked by the CPJ. A crackdown on corruption has made financial reporting especially difficult, said the report.

The CPJ also highlighted the case of Shohret Hoshur, an Uighur journalist for US government-funded Radio Free Asia, who says his three brothers have been locked up in retaliation for his reporting.

Overall, the total number of journalists in prison fell from 212 to 199 during the year, due partly to a fall in those under arrest in Iran, Vietnam, and Ethiopia. However, the CPJ said that a “climate of fear persists” in all three countries, with many of those released subject to ongoing legal action and harsh restrictions including exile.

Of those journalists in prison on 1 December, 109 worked online, and 83 in print.

Of the 28 countries listed on the report, 10 were locking up just one journalist in what the CPJ said is an indication that “only a handful of countries engage in systematic imprisonment of journalists”.

More than half the charges against journalists are for anti-state violations, but the CPJ said the proportion held under “trumped up” accusations such as drugs or weapons possession, embezzlement, or assault had reached a five year high of 25%.

The report only covers journalists held by governments, and the CPJ estimates there are at least 40 journalists missing in the Middle East and Africa, many thought to be in the hands of Islamic State.