WAN Reports More than 100 Journalists Killed in 2007

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) report on press freedom worldwide for the year 2007 has disclosed that more than 100 journalists have so far been killed this year adding that their death toll is looking to surpass the record level reached in 2007.

Giving the breakdown, WAN said so far, 106 media workers have been killed this year with 45 of these taking place in Iraq. Somalia in East Africa, where eight journalists were killed while on duty this year came next to Iraq, while Pakistan, with seven journalists killed came third.

WAN also raised the alarm that the 2007 death toll is fast approaching the 110 deaths recorded last year. The report shows a deteriorating press freedom situation, from journalists in Latin America being targeted for exposing corruption and drug trafficking, to harsh criminal defamation laws in Africa that are putting reporters at risk.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the report says a total of six journalists were killed between June and November 2007 in the line of duty: two in the Democratic Republic of Congo and four in Somalia.

It says here, more and more journalists are prosecuted and jailed on charges of “endangering state security,” while harsh repression through “insult laws” and criminal defamation continues. The report added that threats, attacks and violence target those who report the inconvenient truth, whether it is linked to the handling of a conflict situation, abuse of power or personal misconduct.

The report cited the Presidential and parliamentary elections in Mali this year which saw a level of press repression unprecedented in at least ten years. Here, five publishers and journalists were jailed in June in the aftermath of an article about a high school essay assignment concerning an imaginary presidential sex scandal. They were convicted of insulting President Amadou Toumani Toure and sentenced to prison terms and fines.

In Niger, Chad, The Gambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and DRC there were various incidents of breach of press freedom and freedom of expression. Zimbabwe and Botswana were not left out.

In Niger Republic, Radio France Internationale (RFI) and the bi-monthly Aïr Info were suspended for one and three months respectively for their coverage of a rebellion of nomadic Tuaregs in northern Niger while in Chad, the state of emergency declared twice had a chilling effect on press freedom in the country.

The report said brutal repression of the press and other independent voices in Gambia make the country one of Africa’s worst places to be a journalist. The Gambian government jailed journalists without due process, forced others into exile, and brought criminal charges against the leadership of the Gambia Press Union.

Eritrean government, which holds more than a dozen publishers and journalists incommunicado without charge and trial since the September 2001 and closed of all the privately owned media, remains one of Africa’s most repressive regimes toward the media and the largest jailer of journalist.

In Ethiopia, several journalists and publishers of now-defunct Amharic-language weeklies have been jailed and then released on conditional pardon. They had received heavy prison sentences, including life prison sentences, on anti-state charges in connection with critical coverage of the government during the deadly unrest in the aftermath of disputed parliamentary elections in 2005. Journalists are regularly prosecuted on charges of “treason,” “conspiracy” to overthrow the government, or defamation.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, press freedom violations continue unabated while in Zimbabwe, the Interception of Communications Act adopted in August allows authorities to intercept all phone, Internet, and mail communications. It establishes a state monitoring centre and requires telecommunications providers to install systems “supporting lawful interceptions at all times.”

In the Middle East and North Africa, all the 15 journalists killed between June and November were killed in Iraq and the number brought to 45 the total from the beginning of the year.

In the Middle East and North Africa, although there are growing numbers of independent newspapers that do not shy away from criticising the authorities and questioning the lack of democracy, the general media scene is plagued by strict government control and legal action taken against anyone who dares question the regime in place. The bloggers community has taken on a more important role in informing the citizens, a role which continues to gain importance despite legal actions taken against them in a number of countries.

The war in Iraq has again claimed numerous victims among journalists. Iraq remains the world’s worst place to practice journalism: the number of journalists targeted and killed, though has declined in comparison to the first six months of the year however, still remain alarming. In the past six months, 15 media employees were killed, bringing the total so far to 44.

In Tunisian President Ben Ali maintains an iron grip on the media; the continued conflicts between the Hamas and Fatah factions in the Palestinian Authority Territories place the media under enormous economic constraints; most Gulf countries have a poor press freedom record, with government control over the press being extremely rigid and the media exercising widespread self-censorship.

In the Americas, eight journalists were killed: three in Colombia’ and one each in the United States, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Paraguay.

Journalists in Latin America continue to be the victims of murders, threats and harassment when investigating sensitive subjects such as corruption and drug trafficking. Government persecution and legal actions also hinder the work of the press, which nevertheless continues its unyielding battle for freedom of information. A number of media professionals have been killed in the region in the past six months.

Hostility toward independent and opposition media and attempts to silence them were rampant in various parts of Europe and Central Asia. Spurious extremism and anti-state criminal charges remained an effective tool to hinder critical reporting.

The full report titled “Press Freedom World Review, June - November 2007” is available at: http://www.wan-press.org/article15513.html

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