Human Rights Report Media Excerpt On East Timor
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003 Released by the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
February 25, 2004
WASHINGTON (East Timor Action Network/Pacific Media Watch):
...
Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
a. Freedom of Speech and Press
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the Government generally respected these rights in
practice; however there were a few instances when government officials attempted to interfere with the press. For
example, in August, a senior government official requested in writing that journalists working for the public
broadcasting service be disciplined or criminally prosecuted because of their coverage of the eviction of a popular
opposition leader (see Section 1.f.). In September, the Government notified one of Dili's two major daily newspapers
that it must begin paying rent for the space it was using in a government building. UNTAET had permitted the newspaper
to use the space without paying rent. After the newspaper agreed to lease the space, the Government reportedly reversed
its position and issued a notice of eviction. Shortly before the issuance of this notice, a senior government official
criticized publicly the newspaper's coverage of a case of alleged corruption and threatened to close the paper. At
year's end, the newspaper was still waiting to hear whether the Government would offer a fair market price or follow
through with the eviction. The newspaper continued to operate normally.
There are two daily newspapers, two weeklies, and several bulletin newspapers that appear sporadically. Their editorials
freely criticized the Government and other political entities.
The Public Broadcast Service (PBS) owned and operated a radio station and a television station. The PBS radio service
was available throughout the country. The PBS broadcast television was available only in Dili and Baucau. In addition to
the PBS radio station, there were 16 additional community radio stations including at least 1 in each district. Radio is
the most important news medium for most of the country.
There were no legal or administrative restrictions on Internet access.
The Government did not restrict academic freedom.
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