With its heavily ironic film "A great year for censorship" Reporters Sans Frontières presents the hit-parade of heads of state who are really good at gagging their journalists. Here's the verdict.
They've gone all-out, they've been inventive, they've pushed past their limits and the match was neck-in-neck right up to the finish line. Now the results are in: a list of the twelve best press-censoring heads of state. It features, among others, the president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, who went the extra mile with his grenade attacks on editorial offices.
No such list would be complete without Saudi Arabia's Salmane ben Abdelaziz Al Saoud, who garners plaudits for his epic programme of public floggings, which are as effective today as they've always been. Then come some old favourites in the form of the Chinese, Russian and Eritrean leaders. Equally noteworthy is the addition of Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who this year had no hesitation in sending journalists to military camps.
As a reward, these 12 censorship champions will get to see their faces on posters as part of a charitable campaign produced for Reporters Sans Frontières to mark World Press Freedom Day.
