CPJ: Institutions lagging in defence of press freedom
Report - International
16 February 2011
Global
institutions lagging in defence of press freedom, says
CPJ
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, February 15, 2011 -
Global and regional
institutions with a responsibility to
guard press freedom are largely
failing to fulfill their
mandate as journalists worldwide continue to
face
threats, imprisonment, intimidation, and killings, according
to
Attacks on the Press, a yearly survey released today
by the Committee to
Protect Journalists.
"While
international law guarantees the right to free
expression,
journalists cannot count on a robust defense
of those rights," said CPJ
Executive Director Joel Simon.
"The recent unprecedented repression and
persecution of
journalists in Egypt, for example, provides an
important
opportunity for global and regional
institutions to speak and act
forcefully in defense of a
free press."
Attacks on the Press is the world's most
comprehensive guide to
international press freedom, with
thorough analyses of the key factors
that obstruct a free
press by CPJ's regional experts. It includes a
special
feature on the invisible nature of online attacks meant to
curb
journalists, including online surveillance,
malicious software, and the
elimination of news sites
from the Internet.
CPJ found that a halfhearted,
inconsistent approach to defending press
freedom plagues
institutions like the United Nations, the Organization
of
American States, and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in
Europe, among others. "While valiant
special rapporteurs at various
institutions battle
anti-media violence, their efforts are stymied by
a
halting political will to guarantee press freedom,"
said Simon.
With a preface by Al-Jazeera English anchor
Riz Khan, the book provides
an overview of media
conditions in more than 100 countries along with
data on
journalists killed (44) and imprisoned (145) in 2010.
Regional
trends identified by CPJ include:
Africa:
A
rise in investigative journalism has led governments in the
region to
crack down on journalists, particularly those
reporting on the provision
of basic services and the use
of public money. From Cameroon to South
Africa,
authorities are moving aggressively to unmask confidential
news
sources, criminalize possession of government
documents, and retaliate
against probing journalists -
all while governments across the
continent, under
pressure from donor countries, are pledging
more
transparency and
accountability.
Americas:
Decades since democratization
took hold in the region, a rise in
censorship can be seen
throughout Latin America, caused by
government
repression, judicial interference, and
intimidation from criminal
groups. In some countries, a
climate of impunity perpetuates a cycle of
violence and
self-censorship. In others, governments abuse
state
resources to silence critical reporting, and
powerful figures routinely
utilize politicized courts to
override constitutional guarantees of
free
expression.
Asia:
With a mixture of violence
and official repression, censorship in Asia
takes many
forms. China's anti-media policies are becoming ever
more
entrenched, even as local journalists test the daily
guidelines flowing
from the Central Propaganda
Department. Asian democracies like Thailand,
the
Philippines, and Indonesia appear incapable of reversing
the
impunity with which journalists are being killed,
while Sri Lanka's
peace dividend never materialized for
journalists. Pakistan was the
world's deadliest country
for journalists in 2010.
Europe and Central Asia:
Newer
and subtler forms of censorship are taking hold across the
region
to counter the rise of electronic journalism,
particularly in Russia and
the former Soviet republics.
These include the targeted use of
technological attacks
and the untraceable disabling of independent
media
websites. The physical violence already employed
in several countries
to harass and intimidate journalists
working in traditional media now
extends to bloggers.
Meanwhile, journalists face restrictions and
potential
punishment from defamation laws and anti-extremism
statutes.
Middle East and North Africa:
Throughout the
region, governments are conflating critical coverage
of
counterterrorism with terrorism itself, claiming
national security
grounds to suppress news and views
considered unfavorable. From Egypt to
Turkey, sweeping
national security legislation has been
enacted,
criminalizing the coverage of terrorism and
politically sensitive
topics. Iran leads the region in
its abuse of anti-state charges, and
from Sudan to
Bahrain, authorities resort to threats, harassment,
and
restriction of movement to limit coverage and conceal
controversial
activities and flawed
policies.
ENDS