Journos are not safe anymore

2003-10-16 21:35

London - Independent media face threats and new restrictions in many countries, including the harassment and prosecution of journalists and the closure of newspapers and TV stations, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

In addition to developing countries, where such problems have long been common, the report also criticised the US military for recently requiring journalists to sign a statement before going to the camp for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, limiting the questions that could be asked.

"Fortunately, this rule was dropped some days later after protests from journalists, but it reveals the atmosphere we are living in today," the international human rights group said. Since the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington, some governments have used the US-led war on terrorism to restrict independent media work, said Amnesty.

The report criticised the transitional Iraqi Governing Council for last month imposing restrictions on the Arabic TV stations al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya, leading the Reporters Without Borders group to say the council only was allowing the media "conditional freedom."

Russia a culprit

Amnesty said freedom of expression is under threat in the Russian Federation. The report quoted Oleg Panfilov, director of the Russian Union of Journalists, as saying that authorities in Russia have stepped up pressure on the independent media in the last year.

He said TVS, the only independent television company with national coverage, was closed, and an attempt was made to introduce amendments to the media law that would have prevented journalists from reporting independently about the war in Chechnya.

Media control, "and hence influence over the mind of people, often is sought by those seeking to maintain power," the report said, citing alleged abuses in Algeria, Belarus, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Rwanda, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

In Guatemala, Amnesty said, journalists are being targeted in what appears to be a systematic attempt to intimidate them into not reporting about sensitive issues, including corruption and the candidacy of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt in a November election.

Threats that journalists have received in Guatemala included one that said, "Police protection will not help you. We can get you wherever you are. We know where you live. We know your car and your daily movements," said Amnesty.

- SAPA