Maravi

Support self regulation, IPI urges government

Support self regulation, IPI urges government
By Chansa Kabwela in Taipei, Taiwan
Tue 27 Sep. 2011, 12:20 CAT

THE International Press Institute has urged the new government of Zambia to support a self regulatory mechanism for the media. And IPI says 82 journalists were killed between January and August this year, a bleak reminder of the continuing perils faced by reporters globally.

Presenting the Director's Report on Media Freedom 2011 on Sunday, IPI director Alison Bethel Mackenzie said the Zambian government should support self regulation and free the public media.

"In Zambia, IPI continues to urge the government to support a self-regulatory mechanism and to free the public media, especially the public broadcaster, from ministerial oversight," Mackenzie said.

She said Uganda's February election was also marred by attacks and reporters there faced excessive use of violence by security forces and political party supporters who acted with impunity while the Ugandan information minister told the BBC that laws would be amended to deal with any journalist who was a so-called "enemy of the state."

She said in Somalia continuing anarchy posed a mortal threat to journalists, who were targeted by militants and caught in the crossfire.

In Sudan, Mackenzie said, security forces confiscated copies of newspapers that reported on attacks on protestors and other sensitive matters, and journalists faced detention and criminal defamation charges.

"In Ethiopia where press freedom has been increasingly limited over the past few years, six journalists have been jailed this year on anti-terror charges. In addition … an editor at the privately-owned Awramba Times was arrested, and Deutsche Welle and Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) both reported that their broadcasts have been jammed," she said.

Mackenzie said 82 journalists had been killed globally of which eight were in Africa.

She said the Middle East and North Africa had been a focus of global political attention owing to the people's uprising, which saw the overthrow of dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

"We have seen remarkable scenes of courageous citizens pursuing democracy at the risk of death, torture and imprisonment. At the same time, though, the region has proven deadly for journalists. In fact, the second most dangerous country in the world for journalists so far this year is Iraq - where nine journalists have been killed in a tragic upsurge in violence toward journalists, according to IPI's Death Watch.

That figure compares to the six colleagues killed in Iraq in the whole of 2010," Mackenzie said. "Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, a total of 24 journalists have been killed, compared with eight in 2010. Although Iraq is the second most dangerous country for journalists this year, many of the remaining journalist deaths in the region were linked to the uprisings."

Mackenzie said governments throughout the region blocked communication particularly social media websites and shut down Internet and disconnected electricity.

She said journalists covering the unrest were subjected to threats, attacks, expulsion, torture and imprisonment on national security charges.

"In Egypt, just before former president Mubarak was forced to resign, dozens of journalists covering the demonstrations in Cairo and elsewhere were detained, interrogated, attacked and otherwise prevented from Covering the news.

On the day of Mubarak's exit, a mob sexually assaulted a female CBS correspondent. And things have not gotten better since the change in leadership. There have been serious press freedom setbacks in Egypt since the Supreme Military Council's takeover," she said.

Mackenzie cited Mexico as a dangerous country for journalists who continued to battle with powerful drug gangs and at least 11 scribes had been killed because of their job while journalists in Colombia and were also under threat.

She said certain countries had recorded successes such as the capture in Argentina of the suspected killer of Bolivian journalist Adams Ledesma Valenzuela who was stabbed to death last year.

She said El Salvadore and Dominican Republic had also recorded deaths while Haiti's press freedom was dire, one year after the devastating earthquake.

However, Cuba had released the last of 29 journalists detained during the 2003 "Black Spring" crackdown, but earlier this month denied re-accreditation for a longtime foreign correspondent over his so-called "negative" reporting on the island nation.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Philippines continued to be dangerous for journalists, with 13 deaths recorded in Asia this year.

"Journalists across the Asian continent, notably in China, Burma and North Korea, also faced arrest, torture, imprisonment after unfair trials, harassment, intimidation, censorship, criminal," she said.

Mackenzie said in sub-Saharan Africa, where five journalists had lost their lives so far this year, progress on some fronts was overshadowed by disturbing reports of press freedom violations.

She said while Nigeria became the second country in West Africa, after Liberia, to promulgate a Right to Information Act, Nigerian elections in April were unfortunately accompanied by a number of attacks on journalists.

"In South Africa, the legislature is still considering passage of a Protection of Information Bill to regulate the classification of government information under which harsh penalties for whistleblowers could lead to excessive secrecy. Finally, serious press freedom problems continue to cause concern in Europe," said Mackenzie, while pledging IPI's unwavering support to ensure that journalists globally operated freely.

Labels: IPI, JOURNALISM, PRESS FREEDOM

posted by MrK @ 6:38 PM