Burma Media Watch 2002: January

Burma Media Watch 2002: January - March

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26.03.2002: AFP - US watchdog blasts Asia's press blackspots
26.03.2002: BMA - 37 Journalists Killed, 118 Jailed in 2001
26.03.2002: CPJ - Attacks on the Press in 2001
26.03.2002: CPJ - Attack on the press in 2001 > Asia
26.03.2002: CPJ - Attack on the press in 2001 >> Burma
17.03.2002: BMA - RSF to present Burma's press freedom situation to UN Human Rights Commission
14.03.2002: RSF - RSF offers the news media a charter to protect journalists working in dangerous conditions
11.03.2002: AFP - Rights groups demand release of ageing Myanmar journalist
11.03.2002: RSF/BMA - RSF and BMA demand that journalist Win Tin be released on his 72nd birthday
09.03.2002: NMG - First Chin Media Group Established
08.03.2002: BMA - BMA condemns murder of Daniel Pearl, calls murder despicable
07.03.2002: AFP - Watchdog: Myanmar journalists work under abysmal conditions
14.02.2002: BMA - Myo Myint Nyein freed at last
14.02.2002: CPJ - Special Report On Burmese Journalism Under Military Rule
13.02.2002: RSF - Myo Myint Nyein freed after 12 years in prison
14.02.2002: CPJ - Editor Myo Myint Nyein Released
13.02.2002: CJFE - Release of Burmese journalist and CJFE International Press Freedom Award winner Myo Myint Nyein
02.01.2002: RSF - Sharp deterioration of press freedom in the world in 2001

26.03.2002: AFP - US watchdog blasts Asia's press blackspots

WASHINGTON, March 26 (AFP) -- A United States-based press watchdog on Tuesday accused authoritarian Asian governments of imposing fierce repression in a bid to intimidate and stifle journalists.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in its annual report launched here that states including China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore were guilty in various degrees to infringing editorial independence.

In a searing critique, CPJ said that 35 journalists were currently in prison in China, more than any country in the world.

"In a backhanded compliment to growing independence and professionalism among elements of the country's press, the Chinese government undertook one of the most severe media crackdowns in recent years," the report said.

It accused Beijing of "shutting down publications, firing editors and reporters seen as too independent, and issuing new directives listing forbidden topics."

In a special section, the report also castigated Myanmar's military junta for what it said was direct censorship of the media and imprisonment of reporters amid its ongoing battle with Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition.

"If you haven't been in jail you haven't been a reporter here," the report quotes one retired editor as saying.

While acknowledging that Pakistan, under General Pervez Musharraf was not as repressive as Myanmar, the committee argued that the presence of a military government in Islamabad tended to force journalists into self-censorship.

It said that after September 11 terror attacks, official scrutiny of the local media became more intense, as Pakistan signed up to the US-led operation in Afghanistan.

Even states such as Thailand, which has frequently been praised in the past for its thriving independent media were not immune from criticism.

The report said that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had tried to exercise undue influence over journalists in violation of constitutional guarantees.

Thaksin provoked new worries recently among those who hope that Thailand's democracy will develop on Western lines when the government tried to expel two journalists from the Far Eastern Economic Review labelled a threat to national security over an article that discussed the government's strained relations with the monarchy.

The CPJ report also expressed fears that Indonesia's leader Megawati Sukarnoputri had restored the post of information minister, a position used to keep tabs on the media during the rule of former dictator General Suharto.

Malaysia was criticised for trying to further tighten its grip on the media, and Singapore was accused of preventing foreign journalists from covering domestic politics.

By Tin Maung Htoo, Burma Media Association, March 26, 2001

Toronto - Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is holding a press conference in Washington D.C today, delivering an annual report, "Attacks on the Press in 2001," including a special report on Burma.

The committee documented over 500 cases of media repression in 140 countries, stated in a press release handed out prior to the press conference.

It surveyed that 37 journalists were killed in 2001, noting a sharp increase from 24 in 2000 and confinement jumped nearly 50 percent - from 81 in 2000 to 118 in 2001.

A group of 12 Burmese journalists was added to those still imprisoned number around the world, but the exiled Burma Media Association (BMA) insists 40 media personnel are still in prison even after several prominent writers have been released up to this year. Detail information is provided on its web site (www.bma-online.net).

However, China is named as the leading jailer of journalists in the world, with a total of 35 journalists behind bars. It has been three years in a row for China, alerted the committee.

CPJ said it had conducted special observations on Syria, Burma and Colombia for the year ending report, of which the special report "Burma Under Pressure," which conducted in Burma, divulged press situation in Burma with severe censorship and threat.

It stated that debates on government policies, dire state of economy and events of natural disaster are off-limit to the press while glowing stories of achievement of the ruling junta are overabundance on the state-controlled media.

However, CPJ pointed the fact that there had been a development after the emergence of new publication "Myanmar Times" in Burma. "It is allowed more latitude in its reporting and presentation than staid mouthpieces such as the official daily New Light of Myanmar."

CPJ also noted some progress on other part of the world in its report. "In 2001 there were some important gains and positive developments in global press freedom. In countries like Yugoslavia, Syria, and Sri Lanka, journalists were able to report the news more freely than they had in years."

CPJ said it had stood up for countless journalists, saving lives and exposing those who would silence the press for more than 20 years. Especially in this time CPJ expressed its concern over possible governments' threat of terrorism as a pretext to crack down on press.

CPJ is one of the press freedom advocacy organizations consistently putting pressure on the Burmese military government to release all media professionals from prison and to embrace the practice of press freedom in the country.

Annual Report Documents Global Press Freedom Crisis: 37 Journalists Killed; 118 Jailed at Year's End; China World's Leading Jailer of Journalists for the Third Year

New York, March 26, 2002The September 11 attacks and subsequent "war on terrorism" precipitated a press freedom crisis that was global in scope, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ's) annual survey of press freedom conditions around the world.

Attacks on the Press in 2001 documents over 500 cases of media repression in 140 countries, including assassination, assault, imprisonment, censorship, and legal harassment. In documenting these attacks, CPJ's report notes several alarming trends.

A total of 37 journalists were killed worldwide as a direct result of their work in 2001, a sharp increase from 2000 when 24 were killed. The dramatic rise is mainly due to the war in Afghanistan, where eight journalists were killed in the line of duty covering the US-led military campaign. Most of the journalists killed, however, were not covering conflicts but were murdered in reprisal for their reporting on sensitive topics including official crime and corruption in countries such as Bangladesh, China, Thailand, and Yugoslavia.

After four years of steady decline, the number of journalists in prison jumped nearly 50 percent - from 81 in 2000 to 118 in 2001. More than two-thirds of last year's increase came from little noticed crackdowns in Eritrea and Nepal, carried out after September 11. China, already the world's leading jailer of journalists for the third year in a row, arrested eight more ending the year with a total of 35 journalists behind bars.

Governments around the world invoked "national security" concerns while seeking new restrictions on the press or unleashing new intimidations in countries like Zimbabwe, where journalists were denounced as "terrorists." As justification, some cited U.S. actions after September 11, such as the State Department's attempt to censor a Voice of America interview with Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Jailed Journalists Freed

Despite these setbacks, in 2001 there were some important gains and positive developments in global press freedom. In countries like Yugoslavia, Syria, and Sri Lanka journalists were able to report the news more freely than they had in years. Eight journalists jailed in Ethiopia were all released following intensive advocacy and a fact-finding mission by CPJ's Africa program, and two of CPJ's International Press Freedom awardees, in prison when their awards were announced in 1999 and 2000, were both released in 2001 before serving out their full sentences.

"These releases are powerful evidence that even the most hard-line opponents of a free press are not immune to international pressure," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "At the same time, a truly global press freedom crisis affected journalists from China to Benin to the West Bank making it more difficult to safely and freely report the news," said Cooper.

Critical Advocacy

For more than 20 years, CPJ has stood up for countless journalists, saving lives and exposing those who would silence the press. In 2001, that advocacy was more critical than ever. As Anne Garrels notes in her preface to Attacks on the Press in 2001, "in the wake of September 11, many governments may be tempted to use the threat of terrorism as a pretext to crack down on a prying, inconvenient press. If they do, CPJ will be there to make a fuss - we owe that to our colleagues around the world."

Syria, Burma, and Colombia: Three Special Reports

Special reports in this year's Attacks analyze press freedom conditions in Syria, Burma, and Colombia. "Stop Signs" reports that although Syria's press showed signs of life after Bashar al-Assad succeeded his ironfisted father two years ago, the thaw proved to be fleeting. "Burma Under Pressure" shows how journalists in Burma persevere against odds unheard of in almost any other country, running a gauntlet of strict government regulation, capricious censors and corrupt bureaucrats. "Bad Press" focuses on Colombia's right-wing paramilitary leader Carlos CastaÒo's use of violence, intimidation, and even murder to control the local media.

The annual Attacks series is widely recognized as the most authoritative and comprehensive source of information on press freedom conditions worldwide.

CPJ is pleased to announce that the Brookings Institution Press will market and distribute Attacks on the Press in 2001. This agreement will help CPJ's important publication reach a broader audience.

CPJ Relase

Overview by Kavita Menon (CPJ)

ASIA

Journalists across Asia faced extraordinary pressures in 2001. Risks included reporting on war and insurgency, covering crime and corruption, or simply expressing a dissenting view in an authoritarian state.

CPJ's two most striking indices of press freedom are the annual toll of journalists killed around the world and our list of journalists imprisoned at the end of the calendar year. Asian countries registered disproportionately high on both counts --with more journalists killed in Afghanistan than in any other country, and China once again the world's leading jailer of journalists. Nepal, shockingly, took second place on the imprisoned list, with 17 journalists detained as of December 31, 2001, due to a sweeping crackdown on the Maoist insurgency that had severe implications for the press.

Afghanistan was the biggest story in the region, if not the world. Soon after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, hundreds of foreign correspondents made their way toward Afghanistan in anticipation of the eventual U.S.-led military campaign there. The U.S. justified its military action in Afghanistan as essential to destroy the al-Qaeda terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect behind the September 11 attacks, and to remove from power the ruling Taliban militia that had provided him refuge and a base of operations in Afghanistan.

Journalists faced myriad restrictions in reporting on the war. The Taliban barred virtually all foreign journalists from areas under its control. The U.S. military, citing the need for secrecy in its war on terror, did not allow the press access to its forces on the ground until late November, and even then imposed unusually tight restrictions on reporting.

Initially, most journalists entered Afghanistan from Tajikistan, with the help of Northern Alliance forces. As the battle lines shifted, journalists advanced with the Alliance troops. However, with greater access came sharply increased dangers. Reporting on the frontlines was extremely dangerous, with journalists vulnerable not only to the obvious threats posed by landmines, cross-fire, and hostile militias, but to the risks of simply living and working in a lawless land. Eight journalists were killed in Afghanistan during a particularly brutal two weeks in November. The dangers did not subside with the demise of the Taliban, and in some cases seemed more acute as rogue militias and bandits operated unchecked.

The risks to journalists covering civil war and ethnic insurgencies elsewhere in Asia received less attention, but were no less serious. The press in Nepal lost many of its legal protections at the end of November, when the government declared a state of emergency and suspended most civil and political rights in response to a growing Maoist insurgency. Anyone suspected of links to the Maoists could be branded a "terrorist" and detained for up to six months without trial. Dozens of journalists were rounded up under these provisions in a matter of weeks. While most were detained briefly and then released, 17 journalists were in custody as of December 31, 2001.

Sri Lanka's long-running state of emergency, which had been in place since 1983, finally lapsed in 2001. But the administration of President Chandrika Kumaratunga used other existing legislation to retain its formidable powers. The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), for instance, was invoked to allow authorities to detain anyone suspected of involvement with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for up to 18 months without charge. Activists from the Tamil Media Alliance registered concern that journalists could be detained under the PTA simply for "failing to provide information about the activities of terrorists."

In India, the loud protests of the national press succeeded in the elimination of a similar clause from proposed anti-terrorism legislation. Despite this important victory, journalists reporting on anti-government insurgencies in Kashmir and the Northeastern States continued to be vulnerable to harassment and even assault. In the most dramatic instance of abuse, Indian security forces in Kashmir attacked a group of 16 journalists who were documenting efforts by the Indian military to break up a funeral procession held for civilian victims of a suicide bomb attack.

In Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia, authorities tried to block the media's access to areas of civil conflict. Anti-government rebels also put pressure on journalists to get their side of the story out. Traveling to conflict areas without government authorization carried its own risks. In Sri Lanka, an American journalist who entered rebel-held territory was shot and seriously wounded by government soldiers who apparently mistook her party for members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, also known as Papua, a faction of the rebel Free Papua Movement held two documentary filmmakers hostage to gain international attention to the independence movement there. And in the restive province of Aceh, threats from separatist guerrillas forced the only local independent daily to shut down for two weeks.

Fighting in the southern Philippines between government forces and Muslim separatist guerrillas was practically ignored by the international community prior to the United States-led anti-terrorism campaign, but longstanding tensions there have made journalism an extremely dangerous profession. A radio host was killed in May soon after receiving an on-air threat from a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf, a guerrilla group that claims to be fighting for a separate Muslim state and is suspected of links to bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. His murder, along with that of another journalist killed in January for his reporting on the involvement of local officials in the drug trade, brought the total number of journalists killed since 1986, when democracy was restored in the Philippines, to 37. The death toll among the press in the Philippines is among the highest of any country in the world.

The alarmingly high incidence of violence against journalists in a democracy like the Philippines is far from exceptional. In fragile democracies with weak or politicized law enforcement agencies, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, attacks against the press are common because they tend to go unpunished.

For the media in Bangladesh, 2001 was a particularly brutal year. Scores of journalists were subject to violent assault. At least two of them were left permanently crippled by their attackers. One journalist was assassinated for his reporting on local criminal syndicates. Another was killed for reasons that remain unknown. In volatile Indonesia, the Alliance of Independent Journalists documented 95 attacks and other incidents of harassment against journalists. The very real threat of violence in these countries encouraged self-censorship among journalists.

Ongoing political and social turbulence in Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea took its toll on local media. In Papua New Guinea, journalists were repeatedly targeted for attack during periods of unrest, while Fijian authorities exerted more subtle pressures to restrain political coverage.

The dangers faced by journalists in authoritarian Asian countries were of a different nature. Both China and Vietnam maintained a firm grip over all domestic media outlets and ruthlessly punished dissent. In these countries, the new possibilities for free expression that accompanied the advent of the Internet carried old risks of persecution. In 2001, China imprisoned eight people for publishing news and information online.

China held 35 journalists in prison at year's end, more than any other country in the world. One of them was Jiang Weiping, who received CPJ's International Press Freedom Award in 2001. Jiang landed in jail because of his reporting on local corruption. Though Communist Party officials have encouraged journalists to expose crime and corruption, reporters who overstepped government-mandated limits faced harsh reprisals.

In a backhanded compliment to growing independence and professionalism among elements of the country's press, the Chinese government undertook one of the most severe media crackdowns in recent years, shutting down publications, firing editors and reporters seen as too independent, and issuing new directives listing forbidden topics.

Despite its problems, the Chinese press remains far more vibrant than the press in countries such as Burma, North Korea, and Laos. Burma's military junta controls the local media through direct censorship and an elaborate regulatory system that prevent local journalists from reporting even the most mundane events. The regime also threatens dissident journalists with imprisonmentat least 12 Burmese journalists were jailed at the end of 2001. During a recent CPJ mission to Burma, one retired newspaper editor remarked that, "If you haven't been in jail you haven't been a reporter here." (See page 2 for CPJ's special report on press conditions in Burma.)

Pakistan's military dictatorship, headed by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was not nearly as repressive as the Burmese junta. However, the unchecked power of the military government tended to encourage self-censorship among local journalists, who were vulnerable to illegal detention and frequent harassment by the country's intelligence agencies. After September 11, government scrutiny of the media became particularly intense.

The most serious problems facing the large numbers of foreign journalists who arrived in Pakistan in the fall, anticipating war in neighboring Afghanistan, were restrictions on access to the border areas and requirements that journalists reporting along the frontier region travel in the company of armed security officials. Local authorities argued that the restrictions were necessary to cope with the mounting threat of violence from groups angered by the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan.

Pressure on the government from religious extremists in Pakistan twice resulted in the closure of newspapers and the arrests of journalists on blasphemy charges.

Press freedom gains made across Southeast Asia in recent years seemed in danger of reversal in Thailand and Indonesia as new leaders took office with more restrictive attitudes toward the media. Many Thai journalists accused business tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, the country's new prime minister, of trying to exercise undue influence over the media in violation of constitutional guarantees. Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri worried journalists with her close links to the military and her decision to restore the post of information minister, an office that was used to control the media for decades under former dictator Suharto.

In Malaysia, the government further tightened its already firm grip on the mainstream media through political pressure, threats, and licensing restrictions. And in Singapore, where the local press is largely controlled by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), the government restricted the foreign media from covering domestic politics and introduced new regulations to curb independent political commentary on the Internet. One political activist was arrested in November after posting an article on the Singaporeans for Democracy Web site that criticized alleged election law violations by PAP leaders in 1997.

Kavita Menon is CPJ's program coordinator for Asia. A. Lin Neumann is CPJ's Asia consultant. Sophie Beach is CPJ's Asia research associate.

CPJ Relase

BURMA

Controlled by a harsh military junta and operating under a regime of severe censorship and threat, Burma's media are barred from reporting even the most mundane local events. Debate about government policies or the dire state of the economy is unheard of, and most political news consists of glowing stories recounting the presumed achievements of the ruling State Peace and Development Council. There is virtually no coverage of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). An ongoing dialogue of sorts between the NLD and the junta is similarly off-limits to the press.

The only recent development that has encouraged some observers is the 1999 opening of the privately owned -- but junta-controlled -- English-language Myanmar Times. A project encouraged by the Office of Strategic Studies (OSS), headed by military intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the weekly paper is nominally owned by Australian publisher Ross Dunkley and targets foreign investors. It is allowed more latitude in its reporting and presentation than staid mouthpieces such as the official daily New Light of Myanmar.

The Times might indicate a subtle split in the ruling junta, with the OSS and Khin Nyunt seeking to present a more polished, if no less dictatorial, image of Burma. In February, the respected Thailand-based Burmese exile publication, The Irrawaddy, reported that OSS officials have privately cited The Myanmar Times as the best source of information for the intelligence agency's views.

Some 50 private weekly and monthly journals are allowed to publish in the capital, Rangoon, but they must negotiate a gauntlet of state censors and pay regular, hefty bribes. Journalists from some of these publications told CPJ during a visit that they are prevented from covering floods, natural disasters, or fires. They must frequently scrap entire print runs of their magazines if an article violates official sensibilities. Even coverage of many international events, such as the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, is banned.

Virtually no foreign journalists are allowed to live in Rangoon. (The sole exception is the representative of China's official Xinhua News Agency.) Local stringers for international wire services say the military closely monitors their activities. Although the junta allowed certain visiting reporters greater access in 2001, foreigners still require special visas and are monitored while in the country.

Communications in general are restricted in Burma. Government permits are needed to own a fax machine, mobile phones are extremely difficult to obtain, and there is no public Internet access. A few thousand e-mail accounts are available, but they are run through a government server and subject to long delays while censors screen messages.

Exile publications that operate along the border with Thailand say they try to distribute their materials inside the country, but since their couriers often risk capture, they can send only a few hundred copies at a time into border areas. Almost no underground press exists because students, the mainstay of such activities in the past, have been brutally repressed by the government.

At the end of 2001, 12 journalists were imprisoned in Burma, many of them for having had contact with the NLD. In July, free-lance journalist San San Nwe was released from prison after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence for allegedly conveying information that showed the regime in a bad light to foreign journalists and diplomats. Journalists in Rangoon told CPJ that San San Nwe suffered from ill health while in detention.

In 2001, the World Association of Newspapers gave her the Golden Pen of Freedom Award. The co-winner of the award, another veteran Burmese journalist, U Win Tin, remains in detention. San San Nwe's release appeared to be linked to the ongoing dialogue between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, which has resulted in the release of some 200 political prisoners and the reopening of several NLD offices. Aung San Suu Kyi, however, remains under house arrest and is prohibited from talking to the press.

Chinese premier Jiang Zemin's December trip to Burmathe first visit to the country by a Chinese leader since 1988reinforced ties between the junta and one of its few international allies. Chinese investment has grown in Burma since the junta crushed the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, slaughtering thousands of people in the process. China is one of the few countries in the world that did not break ties with Rangoon over the incident, instead using the country's isolation to increase Chinese influence. (Another taboo subject for the Burmese press is growing domestic resentment of China's presence, especially in central Burma.) The government-controlled media, predictably, hailed Jiang's visit as a major event.

By Maung Maung Myint, Burma Media Association

17 March 2002 -- Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières - RSF) will discuss Burma's press freedom situation during an oral presentation to the UN Human Rights Commission meeting that begins on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland. RSF, which holds an observer status in the UN Human Rights Commission, has the possibility to present particular cases or stories to the commission.

In a telephone interview with BMA, RSF spokesperson Mr. Gen Julliard said, "This year, we have decided to present about the systematic repression on press freedom in Burma, particularly about U Win Tin's case. We will also talk about other journalists still being incarcerated in Burmese prisons, and U Sein Hla Oo's case is a good example."

U Win Tin who has been imprisoned since 4 July 1989 is a former editor-in-chief of the daily Hanthawathi and Central Executive Committee member of the National League for Democracy. He was sentenced to a total of twenty years for sending to the UN special rapporteur for Burma a document on prison conditions and mistreatment in Insein prison.

Recently, RSF and BMA called on Burma's ruling junta that U Win Tin be released on his 72nd birthday for medical reasons. However, military junta in Rangoon has not yet responded to the petition.

"We will send another letter to find out why they didn't answer to our petition. If they fail to respond to us this time again, we will then intensify our campaign by fiercely promoting international awareness on Burma issue," said Mr. Gen Julliard. "We always work with international media, especially in Europe. In fact, almost thirty European media have sponsored Win Tin's case, and raised this issue on his birthday. All we have to do now is to intensify the momentum so that enough pressure is placed upon Burmese junta to release the remaining journalists".

According to RSF, at least 17 media professionals are still jailed in Burma. RSF is especially worried about journalist Sein Hla Oo, whose sentence ended in August 2001, but who has still not been released.

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14.03.2002: RSF - RSF offers the news media a charter to protect journalists working in dangerous conditions

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) publishes today a Charter for the Safety of Journalists Working in War Zones or Dangerous Areas aimed at averting or at least reducing the risks that war reporters run in the course of their work. The press freedom organisation is asking editors to adopt it and observe it.

Although no war zone is absolutely safe, the Charter makes a number of useful proposals in the form of eight principles. These are a commitment by the media, public authorities and journalists to systematically seek ways to assess and reduce the risks involved, not forcing journalists to cover wars against their will, using only experienced journalists, providing adequate preparation, equipment and insurance, offering post-mission psychological counselling if requested and giving journalists international legal protection.

The Charter was drawn up by representatives of the French foreign and defence ministries, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, UNESCO, French journalists¹ trade unions (CFDT and SNJ), Reporters Without Borders and the World Press Freedom Committee, along with doctors and the IPS Bellini-Gutenberg insurance group.

This working party was set up after a forum organised last 18 December by Reporters Without Borders at the Foreign Press Centre in Paris, where nearly 100 journalists discussed the topic of ³War reporters: news at what price?²

Every time there is a war, the price journalists pay is a heavy one. Last November, eight special correspondents were killed in Afghanistan. After paying tribute to their bravery, it is time we took the necessary steps to avert or at least reduce the risks that war reporters run.

The Charter will be distributed to editors and journalists all over the world by Reporters Without Borders and its partners who have compiled it, through their network of representatives and correspondents.

BANGKOK, March 11 (AFP) - Reporters Sans Frontieres and the exiled Burma Media Association (BMA) Monday called on Myanmar's ruling junta to release dissident journalist Win Tin who has been imprisoned for the past 13 years.

Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters without Borders - RSF) and the exiled BMA said they would present a petition to Myanmar's French embassy on Win Tin's 72nd birthday which falls on Tuesday.

"RSF and the BMA demand that Win Tin be released for medical reasons," the Paris-based RSF and the BMA said in a joint statement, adding that some 2,500 people had signed the petition calling for his release.

Win Tin was a leading member of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which won a landslide election victory in 1990 but has been blocked from assuming power in the military-run state.

During his time behind bars, the high-profile dissident has suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and inflammation of the vertebra, the media groups said.

"(We) fear that a return to prison will worsen Win Tin's fragile health, and hope that the Burmese authorities will show compassion to a sick, 72-year-old man who has spent the past 13 years of his life in prison."

The statement said that the UN's human rights envoy to Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and former political prisoners, reported Win Tin was being treated at Rangoon General Hospital, where he was operated on for a hernia.

"Even though his overall condition is stable, a return to prison could endanger his life."

Win Tin, former editor-in-chief of the daily Hanthawathi, has been imprisoned since 4 July 1989 on a 20-year sentence for sending a previous UN envoy a document on prison conditions and mistreatment at Insein prison.

RSF said that according to its records, at least 17 media professionals are still jailed in Myanmar.

Yangon says it has released at least 29 political prisoners since mid-February and nearly 250 since the junta began secret talks with Aung San Suu Kyi in October 2000.

However, many high-ranking NLD leaders remain in jail, and Aung San Suu Kyi herself has been under house arrest since September 2000.

Officials in Yangon announced Saturday that the son-in-law and three grandsons of former dictator Ne Win, who ruled Myanmar between 1962 and 1988, were arrested last Thursday while discussing plans for a coup.

The nation's chief of police, air force chief and military commander were subsequently sacked, and observers said they expected more high-profile heads to roll in coming days as the regime purges its ranks.

On 12 March 2002, journalist and member of the National League for Democracy, U Win Tin, is celebrating his 72nd birthday in detention. According to information obtained from Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN special rapporteur for Myanmar, and from former Burmese political prisoners, Win Tin is currently being treated at Rangoon General Hospital, where he was operated on for a hernia. He will probably soon be returned to Insein prison.

Even though his overall condition is stable, a return to prison could endanger his life. Win Tin has suffered, during the 13 years of his detention, from high blood pressure, diabetes and spondylitis (inflammation of the vertebra).

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières - RSF) and the Burma Media Association (BMA) demand that Win Tin be released for medical reasons. The two organizations fear that a return to prison will worsen Win Tin¹s fragile health, and hope that the Burmese authorities will show compassion to a sick, 72-year-old man who has spent the past 13 years of his life in prison. Conditions in Insein prison, the country¹s main prison where several political prisoners have died in recent years, are not at all adapted to Win Tin¹s poor health.

On Win Tin¹s 72nd birthday, RSF has sent the Burmese embassy in France a petition in favor of his release, signed by more than 2,500 people. RSF will discuss Win Tin¹s situation during an oral presentation to the next session of the UN Human Rights Commission. In addition, dozens of European media have sponsored Win Tin, and will raise this issue on his birthday.

Former editor-in-chief of the daily Hanthawathi, vice-president of the Burmese Writers¹ Association, and member of the board of directors of the National League for Democracy (NLD; the opposition party), Win Tin has been imprisoned since 4 July 1989. He was sentenced to a total of twenty years for sending to the UN special rapporteur for Burma a document on prison conditions and mistreatment in Insein prison.

As far as RSF is aware, at least 17 media professionals are still jailed in Burma. RSF is especially worried about journalist Sein Hla Oo, whose sentence ended in August 2001, but who has still not been released.

by Network Media Group

On March 7, the first Chin media group named "Khawnutum" was established on the Indo-Burma border led by Chin youths. The newly formed Khawnutum news group will run independently, collecting and disseminating news from the Western region of Burma especially from the Chin State. The group is led by six Chin youths including ex-members of the Chin National Front, reported the chief director of the Khawnutum, Salai Lung Than. The Khawnutum sent out a press release explaining the need for its establishment. "The people in isolated Chin State have to live like living souls without body as their eyes and ears were closed without any information." "This news service is not based on any individual or organisation, and it will stand as independent media forever," said the Press Release.

On the India-Burma border, two independent media groups, the Burman led by the Mizzima, and Arakanese led by the Narinjara, have already been established in disseminating news from the western border of Burma. More than fifty thousand Chin people took refuge in neighbouring areas such as the Mizoram and Manipur states of India and the Bandranan area in Bangladesh due to civil war and economic hardship in Chin State.

Washington, D.C. -- The murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl by unnamed kidnappers is despicable and is condemned by the members of the Burma Media Association (BMA).

"On behalf of all our members, we want to extend our deepest sympathies and sorrow to Mr. Pearl's family and his colleagues. We are outraged by what has happened and urge the Pakistani authorities to take all steps necessary to apprehend his kidnappers and murderers," stated Maung Maung Myint, President of BMA. "At this time of great grief, journalists throughout the world need to unite and reaffirm the principles that Mr. Pearl had dedicated his lifefreedom of speech and seeking the truth," said Mr. Myint.

"Those people who perpetrated these acts and those who support this terrorism must understand that they have failed in their goal to intimidate or deter and steeled our resolve to continue our work," stated Mr. Myint.

BMA is dedicated to promoting freedom of speech and protecting journalists throughout the world and especially those imprisoned and persecuted in Burma. Its members, located in many countries throughout the U.S., Europe, and South and Southeast Asia will be holding a moment of silence to remember Mr. Pearl, his family and other journalists who face the dangers inherent in their profession.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Journalists in Myanmar work under abysmal conditions and are prohibited from writing about issues such as AIDS, corruption and the situation of students, an international press watchdog reported Friday.

``The restrictions imposed by the ruling military junta make reporting on even the most mundane topics a risky business,'' said the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists in a report received by news organizations in Bangkok.

By the end of 2001, 12 journalists were imprisoned for their work and all journalists labor under a harsh regime of censorship, licensing and threats, it said. One was freed this week during a visit to Myanmar by a U.N. human rights investigator, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.

``I found journalists dedicated to uncovering information and ideas,'' said Lin Neumann, the author of the report, who visited the military state. ``The tragedy is that so little of what they know finds its way into print.''

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been ruled by its military since 1962. In 1990, the junta overturned its defeat in general elections by the democratic opposition led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. In addition to direct censorship, the government allows no public Internet access, controls all news and owns the electronic media. Unauthorized ownership of a fax machine is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

The report cites an unidentified editor of a weekly magazine as saying that the government censorship board forbids writing about the country's AIDS epidemic, corruption, education or the situation of students, who have historically been at the forefront of the democracy movement.

The editor also said the magazine cannot write ``any bad news'' and must be careful about its coverage of political issues.

The committee welcomed the release this week of former magazine editor Myo Myint Nyein, who had served more than 11 years of a 14-year prison term for writing a satirical poem about the military and a letter protesting prison conditions to the United Nations.

He was freed along with four other opposition activists during an ongoing visit by Pinheiro, the U.N. investigator.

``CPJ is extremely pleased that Myo Myint Nyein is finally free,'' said the committee's executive director Ann Cooper.

``But he should never have been arrested in the first place and 11 of his colleagues remain in jail for doing their professional duty as journalists,'' she was quoted as saying.

February 14 - Five political prisoners, including a prominent journalist and pro-democracy activist Myo Myint Nyein, were released from Burmese prisons on Wednesday. His early release coincides with a visit by UN human rights special envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.

Among the five, four including Myo Myint Nyein belongs to the National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The other, Kyi Pe Kyaw, is a member of outlawed student-led party named Democratic Party for New Society. The released NLD members are Hla Tun Aung, Htein Lin and Kan Shein.

Myo Myint Nyein was first sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 1990 by a military court for publishing a poem critical of the military regime. In 1996, while he was still serving his prison term, he was yet again sentenced for another seven years imprisonment for covertly publishing Rangoon University Diamond Jubilee Magazine and other news magazines in prison, and helping to write a letter to the UN human rights special envoy for Burma Yozo Yokota about ill-treatment of political prisoners.

As a recognition of his extraordinary courage in his fight for a free press in Burma, he was honored by the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression with International Press Freedom Award for 2001. He was nominated for the award by the Burma Media Assoication (BMA) which is a Network-member of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

"The RSF supported the decision of the BMA to present the case of Myo Myint Nyein for CJFE's International Press Freedom Award because we think it was very important to defend his case not only as a defense for an individual journalist but also for the profession of journalism", said RSF's Asia-Pacific Desk director Mr. Vincent Brossel.

Burma's well known senior journalist and BMA's patron U Thaung said, "BMA's effort, in solidarity with other international media organizations such as RSF, seems to be giving some promising results". "However, many journalists are still illegally incarcerated in various Burmese prisons which means we are still facing an uphill battle in our campaign for freedom of press in Burma".

Myo Myint Nyein was released from Tharawaddy prison, and Kyi Pe Kyaw and other two were freed from Myikyina prison.

New York, February 14, 2002 -- Facing strict government regulations, capricious censors, and corrupt bureaucrats, journalists in Burma persevere against odds unheard of in almost any other country, according to a CPJ special report, "Under Pressure: How Burmese journalism survives in one of the world's most repressive regimes."

The report was released as United Nations envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro visited Burma to investigate the country's deplorable human rights record. One journalist, Myo Myint Nyein, was among a small group of political prisoners released on February 13 to coincide with Pinheiro's visit, but press conditions in Burma remain abysmal.

"Journalists took enormous risks just to meet with me," said the author of the report, A. Lin Neumann, CPJ's Asia consultant. "I went to Rangoon expecting to find few reporters and editors eager to practice their craft at all. Instead, I found journalists dedicated to uncovering information and ideas. The tragedy is that so little of what they know finds its way into print."

While 12 journalists were imprisoned for their work at the end of 2001, according to the report, every journalist in Burma labors under a harsh regime of censorship, licensing, and threats. The restrictions imposed by the ruling military junta make reporting on even the most mundane topics a risky business. Magazines can easily be closed and reporters imprisoned or driven into exile-frequent occurrences since military dictatorship was imposed in Burma in 1962.

"The censorship board has told us we must not write about AIDS, corruption, education, or the situation of students," said an editor of a monthly magazine cited in the report. "We also cannot write about any bad news and we must be careful about everything political. That does not leave very much for us to publish."

In addition to direct censorship, the government allows no public Internet access, controls all news, and owns the electronic media. Burma's journalists are reduced to working the margins, trying to put meaning between the lines of what they write, and waiting for better days.

"This report shows that journalists try to do their jobs even under the most severe repression," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "It really is a remarkable story that demonstrates the strength of people's desire for information and free expression."

February 13 - Burmese journalist and NLD member Myo Myint Nyein was freed on 13 February 2002 after spending 12 years in prison for publishing a poem against the army and then for complaining about prison conditions. His family told Reporters Without Borders (RSF Reporters without Borders) he was released from Tharrawaddy prison (100 km north of Rangoon) and taken to Rangoon to be interrogated by the MIS military police. He was expected home later in the day.

Held since September 1997 at Tharrawaddy after six years in Rangoon's Insein jail, he had been sentenced on 19 November 1990 to seven years in prison for publishing a poem criticising the Burmese army in his magazine Yin-Kyae-Hmu (Cultural). After a show trial, he was given another seven-year sentence on 28 March 1996 for helping to write a letter to the United Nations special rapporteur for Burma about prison conditions and ill-treatment of prisoners at Insein.

His release, two years before the end of his sentence and along with four other political prisoners, came during the visit to Burma of the UN special rapporteur, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who recently urged the regime to free the journalist.

RSF and the Burma Media Association (BMA an organisation of Burmese journalists in exile) are pleased at his release but regret the authorities did not free him long before in view of the serious deterioration in his physical and mental health.

For several years, RSF and the BMA, along with sponsoring media and thousands of people who signed petitions, have campaigned for his release. As a way of denouncing the attitude of the regime, they nominated him for a prize awarded by the foundation Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, which he won in 2001.

He was never given proper treatment in jail for the acute psychological and stomach ailments that plagued him during his years in a filthy cell. For several months he was forced to live in a dog kennel at Insein prison.

A former prisoner who shared a cell with him said "solitary confinement, interrogations and untreated illnesses brought down what was once a physically robust man, whose father was a boxer."

RSF believes that at least 17 other journalists are still in prison in Burma and is especially concerned about the fate of Sein Hla Oo, who completed his sentence in August 2001 but has not yet been released. The journalist Win Tin, an adviser to the National League for Democracy, held at Insein since 4 July 1989, is also believed to be greatly weakened by various illnesses.

New York, February 14, 2002---The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the release yesterday of Burmese journalist Myo Myint Nyein, former editor of the magazine Pe-Phu-Hlwar, who was freed along with four other political prisoners during a visit by United Nations envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.

Myo Myint Nyein had served more than 11 years of a 14-year prison term. "CPJ is extremely pleased that Myo Myint Nyein is finally free," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "But he should never have been arrested in the first place, and 11 of his colleagues remain in jail for doing their professional duty as journalists."

Myo Myint Nyein was arrested in September 1990 along with Sein Hlaing, the publisher of Pe-Phu-Hlwar. The two were imprisoned for publishing a pamphlet featuring a satirical poem entitled "Bar Dwae Phyit Kon Byi Lae" (What's Happening To Us?), which the Burmese junta claimed was anti-government propaganda. They were each sentenced to seven years in prison.

On March 28, 1996, Myo Myint Nyein and Sein Hlaing were among at least 22 other prisoners accused of contributing to clandestine publications, including a report describing prison conditions that was delivered to Yozo Yokota, who was then the United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Burma. After a summary trial inside Insein Prison, they each received additional seven-year sentences.

Sein Hlaing is still jailed in Burma, along with 10 other journalists.

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13.02.2002: CJFE - Release of Burmese journalist and CJFE International Press Freedom Award winner Myo Myint Nyein

February 13 - CJFE today welcomed news that the Burmese military junta has released journalist Myo Myint Nyein from prison.

Nyein was freed yesterday along with three other members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and a member of the Democratic Party for New Society, a disbanded pro-democracy youth party. The move was thought to be an apparent goodwill gesture timed to coincide with a visit by United Nations human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.

"We are thrilled with the news of Myo Myint Nyein's release," CJFE Executive Director Joel Ruimy said. "He had been unjustly imprisoned since 1990, and we hope that he will now be able to receive the proper medical care that he so desperately requires."

Myo Myint Nyein, 50, suffered from gastritis, migraines, hypertension and other illnesses while in prison.

In November 2001, CJFE honoured Myo Myint Nyein with an International Press Freedom Award in recognition of his extraordinary courage in his fight for a free press in Burma. As he was in prison, his daughter received the award on his behalf.

In 1990, Myo Myint Nyein, editor of Pay Phu Hlwar magazine, was charged with "organizing youths and students to create instability" through articles in the publication, and was subsequently sentenced to seven years in jail.

While in prison, Myo Myint Nyein and other incarcerated colleagues clandestinely formed the "Press Freedom Movement". In that capacity, Myo Myint Nyein covertly edited the Weekly News Bulletin. He wrote and smuggled out of prison the report "The Testimonials of Prisoners of Conscience from Insein Prison Who Have Been Unjustly Imprisoned".

Because of his involvement in the "Press Freedom Movement", Myo Myint Nyein was sentenced to an additional seven years of hard labour.

More and more journalists arrested, press freedom on the decline in several countries (including Burma)

In 2001:

- 31 journalists killed

- 489 arrested

- 716 attacked or threatened

- 378 press media censured

As of January 1st, 2002:

- 110 journalists imprisoned in the world

As compared to 2000:

- 32 journalists killed

- 329 arrested

- 510 attacked or threatened

- 295 press media censured

Trends and priorities

Except for the number of journalists killed, which remained stable, all indicators (journalists arrested, attacked, threatened or media censured) rose compared to the year 2000. The number of journalists arrested (489 in 2001) rose by nearly 50 per cent, and the number of journalists attacked or threatened (716) by more than 40 per cent. More and more journalists have been imprisoned throughout the world. At present there are 110 behind bars. The number had dropped constantly since 1995 but climbed again sharply in 2001.

Some part of the press is censured somewhere in the world every day, and nearly a third of the world's population lives in countries where there is no press freedom. The situation deteriorated considerably in numerous countries (Bangladesh, Eritrea, Haiti, Nepal and Zimbabwe, among others), whereas very few regimes made progress in terms of press freedom. The impunity that is typical of nearly all these cases is unacceptable. Governments and intergovernmental organisations must focus their efforts on this sector. If they do not, the odds are good that murders of and attacks on journalists will continue to increase in the coming years.

31 journalists killed in 2001

Again this year, some thirty journalists were killed in the world for their opinions or in the exercise of their profession. Fifteen of them were murdered by armed groups or militias. In at least three cases, the authorities were partly responsible. Nine press professionals were killed in armed conflicts (8 in Afghanistan alone). Above and beyond these 31 journalists, ten media collaborators (technicians, administrative staff and so forth) were also killed in the year.

In 2001 Asia was the deadliest continent for journalists (14). In Afghanistan the war waged by the United States following on the September 11th attacks was especially hard on the press. Eight correspondents were killed while covering the conflict. In China, Feng Zhaoxia, a journalist on the daily, Gijie Daobao, was found dead on January 15th in Shaanxi province (to the southwest of Beijing), his throat slit. Despite protests from his family, his colleagues and local journalist associations, the police came to the rapid conclusion that he had committed suicide. Everyone else agreed that the murder was due to the articles published by the journalist. He had only just finished revealing the connivance going on between Mafia-like groups and certain local political leaders.

In the Americas there were ten journalists and ten media collaborators killed in the year. Haiti saw another journalist murdered again this year. On December 3rd, Brignol Lindor, news chief for Radio Echo 2000, was stoned and hacked to death with machetes. After inviting members of the opposition onto his radio show, he received death threats from local leaders of the party in power. The murder was like a warning shot for the rest of the profession, which now feels threatened. In the United States a journalist and eight technicians died in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Another reporter was also one of the anthrax victims after receiving a contaminated anonymous letter. Three journalists were murdered in Colombia. Flavio Bedoya of the weekly, Voz, was shot to death on April 27th. He had received death threats after publishing an article about the violence committed by paramilitary groups. He criticised "the army's and the police's inability to capture the criminals".

In Europe the number of press professionals killed for their opinions also rose (7). A journalist was killed in Northern Ireland for the first time since the early 1960s. Martin O'Hagan, a reporter for the weekly, Sunday World, was killed in the evening of September 28th in front of his home near Belfast. "The Defenders of the Red Hand", a loyalist military group accused him of having committed "crimes against Loyalists". Elsewhere, other journalists were murdered in Ukraine, Kosovo and in Spain's Basque country.

The two bits of good news come from Africa and the Middle East where no press professionals were killed in the context of their jobs. Twenty-seven other journalist murder cases in the world are still under investigation, but as of January 1st, 2002, nothing proves that links exist with their professional activities.

Impunity is still the rule

Nearly no murders and assassinations of journalists have ever been solved. The people giving the orders are still free and have never been very worried by the judicial system in their countries.

In Burkina Faso, for example, more than three years after the assassination of Norbert Zongo, director of L'Indépendant, on December 13th, 1998, the investigation has gone nowhere. The brother of the country's President, François Compaoré, deeply implicated in the incident, was questioned by the investigating judge for the first time in January, 2001, or more than two years after the fact.

Things are pretty much the same in Haiti, where the investigation into the murder of Jean Dominique, manager of Radio Haiti Inter, in April, 2000, has almost been quashed several times. The Senate, controlled by Fanmi Lavalas of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's ruling party, has stacked up quibble upon quibble so as not to have to rule on lifting the parliamentary immunity of Dany Toussaint, the main suspect in the case. Not only that, despite their confessions for killing Brignol Lindor, his murderers, in cahoots with the party in power, have not yet been arrested.

The murder in Sri Lanka in October, 2000, of BBC collaborator, Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, has still not been solved. No one has yet been arrested, and the police are nowhere near employing the means necessary for getting at the truth.

In Ukraine the State apparatus has thrown up major barriers in the search for the truth in the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze in September of 2000. The General Prosecutor's office and the Ministry of the Interior are against any investigation worthy of the name. In September, 2001, the Council of Europe approved a recommendation calling for "the Ukrainian authorities to undertake a new investigation into the disappearance and death of Georgy Gongadze and, to this end, set up an independent investigative commission" composed in particular of international experts.

Nearly five hundred journalists arrested in the year

As of January 1st, 2002, 110 of the world's journalists are still in prison because of their opinions or their professional activities. We'd have to go back to January 1st, 1995, to find so many. Nearly half (50) are being held in Asia. The jails holding the most journalists in the world are in Iran (18), Burma (18) China (12), Eritrea (8) and Nepal (7).

Most imprisoned Iranian journalists are serving long sentences. In January four of them were sentenced to from three to eight years for having "infringed on national security". On the other hand, Raza Alijani, editor-in-chief of the suspended monthly, Iran-e-Farda, and winner of the Reporters Sans Frontières-Fondation de France 2001 Prize, was freed in December after nine months of detention.

In Burma the authorities behave in a criminal way with imprisoned journalists, depriving them of the medical care their state of health calls for. Under heavy sentences for having "spread information hostile to the State" or for having informed foreign journalists, they are being held in inhuman conditions that have significant consequences on their physical and mental health. Myo Myint Nyein, in jail since September 1990, is very weak and suffering from mental problems. For eight months, he was even held in one of the dog kennels of Insein Prison in Rangoon.

In China Twenty-two cyberdissidents, arrested for having spread information considered "subversive" over the Internet, can be added to the twelve journalists in jail. One of the cyberdissidents has been sentenced to four years in prison. In all, 489 press professionals have at one time or another been denied their freedom in 2001, often with no explanations.

In Nepal where a state of emergency was decreed at the end of November, more than fifty journalists and press professionals have been arrested by the authorities. In Cuba, Pakistan, the Congo Democratic Republic and Zimbabwe there have been more than twenty journalists arrested. In many cases no official explanations are given, and no official arrest warrant issued. Most of them are freed quickly, but some spend several weeks, even months, behind bars. On the whole, their conditions of detention are very poor, the interrogations strong-armed and beatings frequent. In Iran journalists undergo poor treatment for the purpose of extracting false confessions from them or of making them write letters of repentance. In the Congo Democratic Republic again this year a journalist was flogged by his jailers.

Over seven hundred journalists attacked or threatened

There are more and more attacks on press professionals. Whether committed by the authorities, political party activists, armed bands or criminals, these attacks are almost never investigated in serious, sustained ways. It is no surprise that the feeling of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators grows stronger. In many countries political leaders are often the instigators of these violent acts. They'd rather take direct revenge on the journalists who have criticised them than undertake court actions against them.

In Bangladesh more than 130 journalists have been attacked by political party activists or sympathisers. Most of these attacks have been committed by activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamat-e Islami (two members of the ruling coalition) or the Awami League, which was in power until July. Journalists exposing corruption, political violence or religious intolerance are their favourite targets.

In Colombia nearly thirty journalists have been the victims of attacks or threats by the different armed groups that fight one another in the country. In Zimbabwe veterans of the war for independence are often the instigators of many attacks on reporters of the independent press. In Ukraine, Russia and the former Soviet-bloc republics of central Asia, violence is always present, and there have been many recorded attacks.

In the territories occupied by Israel eight journalists have been shot and wounded. Upon investigation, Reporters Sans Frontières has ascertained the Israeli army's responsibility for most of the cases. The Israeli authorities, however, after cursory investigations, have claimed that they had no responsibility in these cases.

Forcing journalists into exile is another kind of threat used by some governments. Numerous journalist, fearing reprisals, have thus fled Cuba, Colombia, Ethiopia and Somalia.

A new press medium censured every day

In 2001, 378 press media were censured in the world. In Turkey more than one hundred Television channels, radio stations and press agencies were temporarily suspended by the RTUK, the governmental agency for monitoring the audiovisual press, or by various State security agencies. In most cases these press media are accused of "inciting violence" or "infringing State security" after criticising the regime or reporting on certain extreme left-wing movements.

In Eritrea in September the government ordered the suspension of all independent press media, thus making it one of the rare countries in the world without a privately-owned press. On the very same day at least eight journalists were arrested and taken to a police station in the capital. Others disappeared or fled the country. The director of public-sector television went on the air to explain that "the independent media endangered the country's unity".

In Morocco no fewer than nine newspapers, including seven foreign ones, were censured for dealing with topics such as the Western Sahara, corruption or for having criticised the king. The Spanish and French media especially are kept under close surveillance by the Moroccan authorities.

In Tunisia there is no censure as such simply because there is no independent press. On the other hand the few journalists who try to spread news on the Internet or work for the international press are harassed. Their phone lines are systematically blocked, tapped or sometimes simply cut. Internet access is also tightly controlled.

The foreign press under tight control

Foreign press corespondents are under tight surveillance by numerous heads of State or governments. In Zimbabwe three foreign correspondents were expelled from the country. The government is using all possible means to get a law passed obliging the international press media to employ only journalists of Zimbabwean nationality. The Reuters correspondent in Cuba was forced to leave the island after attacks in the local press. The Liberian government constantly complains about the "massive negative propaganda" conveyed, according to it, by certain foreign media against President Charles Taylor. Foreign correspondents based in China must first receive authorisation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before carrying out investigative reports.

Elsewhere journalists cannot travel to certain countries without being constantly watched. Such is the case in Saudi Arabia,
Burma, North Korea and Vietnam. They also encounter enormous difficulties in obtaining visas for working in Algeria, Libya and Iraq. Pakistani authorities rejected visas for Indian journalist or Indian-born journalists wishing to cover the Afghani conflict. Two correspondents of American dailies were expelled from the country for this reason.

The aftermath of September 11th for press freedom

Above and beyond the heavy price paid by correspondents who died in the field, the September 11th attacks in New York and Washington and the military operation undertaken in Afghanistan, had considerable consequences on press freedom in the world. Several laws adopted for fighting terrorism are especially worrying, and weaken the basic principle of the free circulation of information. In Canada and the United States some of the measures throw the protection of sources into question and strengthen surveillance of the Internet. The American and British governments have rapped their media on the knuckles.

This surveillance has sometimes taken a repressive turn. In Kazakhstan, for example, the armed forces of the Ministry of the Interior in November occupied the building of the independent television station, KTK, temporarily interrupting its broadcasts. The authorities explained that in the context of the Afghani conflict "all the Republic's strategic installations had to be monitored by the Ministry of the Interior".