Pakistan tops list of journalist killings

Pakistan tops list of journalist killings
Pakistan has topped the list of abductions and killings of journalists in South Asia during 2006,
according to a report released by the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).
Pakistan has topped the list of abductions and killings of journalists in South Asia during 2006,
according to a report released by the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).
Four Pakistani journalists were killed last year, reported Online news agency. One journalist,
abducted in December 2005 allegedly by intelligence agencies in Waziristan for an expose, was
found dead June 16.
Muneer Ahmed Sangi, a photographer of Sindhi-language daily 'Kawish' and cameraman of TV
channel KTN, was shot dead while covering a clash between two tribes in Larkana May 29.
In Dera Ismail Khan, Maqbool Hussain Siyal, district correspondent of Online news agency, was
gunned down by unidentified assailants on his way to meeting Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader
Nawab Azek Sep 14, SAFMA said Thursday.
The fourth victim was Malik Muhammad Ismail, editor of Pakistan Press International (PPI) in
Islamabad. The motive behind his killing could not be ascertained.
Tribal areas, especially Wana and Bajour, have acquired the status of 'no-go areas' for journalists
where harassment by intelligence agencies due to military operations remained at its peak.
Instead of providing security, law enforcement agencies worked as a big threat to journalists'
security and an impediment to their work, the report said.
Assaults on journalists continued, by politicians or law enforcement agencies. A superintendent of
police in Peshawar beat up Wahidur Rehman Khalil, a correspondent of the AVT Khyber television
channel, while covering the killing of a tribesman.
Omar Soomro, a reporter of Daily Sham, was tortured and humiliated after being kidnapped by
armed men. Images of him with a tonsured head and shaven moustache were relayed on a
television channel, the report said.
Indo Asian News Service (Staff Writer, © IANS)
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Judicial crisis and media’s role

Judicial crisis and media’s role


By Dr Tariq Rahman
THE attack on Geo TV is a significant event in the history of the media in Pakistan. Not only was it shown in full detail repeatedly by the channel itself, it was also covered by every other respectable private channel in the country.The print media also came out with editorials, columns and letters to the editor in support of the freedom of the media.

In Dickens’s memorable phrase “it was the best of times; it was the worst of times”. “Best” because the media of this country made it clear that it would not be browbeaten; “worst” because the state, or at least some of its functionaries, could descend to such levels of hooliganism against such a big TV channel in full public view.

Perhaps it was the media protest that led the state to make amends but the larger question is whether the media is coming of age, or whether only a section of the media will enjoy relative protection in exchange for not rocking the boat too much. This remains to be seen, but the past can show what trends have prevailed.

That the press has always been gagged by functionaries of the state is nothing new. A brave man, the late Zamir Niazi recorded this phenomenon in three major publications: Press in Chains, Press Under Siege and the Web of Censorship. Some of his essays on the same theme were published posthumously under the title of Fettered Freedom. These books narrate the sorry saga of harassment of journalists in Pakistan, the locking up of independent media personalities, the closing down of dissenting publications and the denial of print paper and advertisements to independent publications.Considering that the press functioned under very draconian laws during Ayub Khan’s dictatorship, the much touted freedom of the press at present is to be celebrated. However, it is not wholly true that this freedom has come since General Musharraf’s rule. It has been on the rise since Muhammad Khan Junejo became the prime minister in 1985 while Ziaul Haq was still ruling behind the scenes. It was necessary for the new face of the Zia regime to give some space to journalism. As it happened, there were many courageous and competent journalists who took advantage of the new space to create a new kind of journalism that was brave and critical of the authorities.

Such brave people had always been there but had been denied space. Still, if one looks at the editorials of I.H. Burney, Mazhar Ali Khan and Razia Bhatti, one cannot help but be impressed by their candour and courage. I have mentioned only those giant trailblazers who are no more but there are many who are alive and still going strong.

The only reason for not mentioning them is that the list is long and leaving out some of these living heroes, which is inevitable, in a column, is invidious. The freedom was taken; it was not given free of cost.

There were also some other factors which made the press strong. One was the globalisation of the means of communication and the near impossibility of maintaining the kind of secrecy and state control which the Soviet Union could do in the fifties.

Secondly, the business potential of the media was so huge as to have made owners pour in millions of rupees into new ventures. As media outlets competed with each other and hired intelligent young people they also broke free of state control.

Both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif tried to muzzle the media — Nawaz Sharif making the greater blunder in the Najam Sethi case — but the media rose to the occasion and the government of the day had to retreat. Meanwhile, as many media reports made clear, individual journalists were intimidated, beaten up in public and privately and the old tactics of denying advertisements and paper were never stopped.

In short, when General Musharraf arrived on the scene in October 1999 the media had been enjoying relative freedom for 10 years at least if not more. It had reached a certain level of independence and it had created a culture of defiance where the government was concerned, while also subjecting itself to self-censorship in matters of religion and the military.

General Musharraf continued this state of affairs. This was very wise of him because if he had chosen to coerce the press he would have alienated even that part of it which either supported him genuinely or was happy to be co-opted by him. As more TV channels came up, the internal dynamics of the media made it stronger. However, all sections of the media have not enjoyed the same degree of freedom.

Let us take two of the most recent reports concerning this lack of freedom. The first is called Watching the Watchdog. It has been researched and edited by Matiullah Jan and Zafarullah Khan. It points out that the way news is presented is such as to privilege the official structure of power. Certain protocol personalities (president, prime minister etc) are given much coverage and the time taken for this by itself favours the official version of the news.

These, however, are subtle methods of introducing bias which is well established even in real democracies. What is less subtle is the bribing of journalists. Zamir Niazi has brought this up again and again. If the state indulges in bribing journalists it is killing the freedom of the press just as it is doing that when it intimidates them. Both cases create sycophants and opportunists or cowards who cannot protect democratic freedoms or those who are oppressed by the executive.

The more disturbing report, however, is called the South Asia Media Monitor (2006) covering excesses against journalists in South Asia. Among many reports there is one which says that in May 2005 Pemra proposed a bill in parliament to curtail the freedom of the electronic media. The report has also touched upon brutality of the kind which creates great doubts about the freedom of the press. It names journalists who have been arrested, held incommunicado, abducted, intimidated, roughed up, tortured, implicated in false cases, even murdered.

For instance, Hayatullah, a journalist, was abducted in December 2005 and found dead in June 2006. Muneer Ahmad Sangi, a photographer of the Sindhi daily Kawish, was shot dead in May 2006. Maqbool Hussain Siyal, a correspondent of a news agency, was gunned down in D.I.Khan. Malik Muhammad Ismail, editor of PPI, was killed in Islamabad. Some have been abducted and traumatised. Still others have been subjected to harsh and cruel treatment not authorised by any court of law. Some are reported to have been implicated in false cases. In short, the profession of journalism remains as dangerous in General Musharrraf’s time as it had been previously.

While the better-known English and Urdu publications and major TV channels enjoy relative freedom, working journalists, especially from the Sindhi, Pashto or Balochi press, fight for their lives and freedom in obscure corners of the country. They too want to publish what they see as the truth but they are more vulnerable to rough treatment because a part of the media is not free and they belong to the poor and marginalised sections of it.

The media’s role as the protector of the rule of law, supporter of the independence of the judiciary, major strength of the right to dissent and as the voice of civil society has been strengthened in the present judicial crisis.

By giving the protesting lawyers their right to be heard the media has built up much respect for itself. It is now up to the media not to give in to either the stick or the carrot. If any section of the media now stops reporting the whole truth without fear or favour it will always be mistrusted by the public. But, despite all this, the media has not come of age yet though it is on its way there. It still does not protect its own members nor is it run by syndicates of journalists.

The media will come of age when marginalised journalists and small publications are protected, and also when unions of journalists rather than owners, control the press. If the media gains real freedom, a free democratic culture is a strong possibility. The present crisis has strengthened the media which is the only silver lining in a sky of black, ominous clouds.

Source: Daily Dawn
Date: 27.03.2007

World Association of Newspapers's Report

Asia (27) Afghanistan (3) Bangladesh (1) China (2) India (3) Indonesia (1) Pakistan (4) Philippines (8) Sri Lanka (5) Afghanistan (3) • Karen Fisher and Christian Struwe, two freelance journalists working for the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, were shot dead on 7 October in Baghlan, a city north of Kabul. According to reports, the two reporters were killed by unidentified gunmen as they were sleeping in their tent. Reportedly, they were in Afghanistan to do research for a documentary. • Abdul Qodus, a cameraman for the private TV station Aryana was killed on 22 July in a suicide bombing in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. According to reports, Qodus was filming the scene of a first suicide bombing, when a second bomber blew himself up. Qodus was allegedly rushed in the Kandahar’s Miwai hospital, where he succumbed to his head injuries. According to local sources, Qodus joined the TV station eight months prior to the attack. The Taliban have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks. Back to the top Bangladesh (1) • Bellal Hossain Dafadar, correspondent of the daily newspaper Janabani, was attacked and stabbed by five unknown assailants on 14 September. He later succumbed to his injuries. Back to the top China (2) • Xiao Guopeng, editor of the Anshun Daily died on 19 July as the result of injuries sustained in a violent assault the previous day in the southwestern province of Guizhou. According to local sources, Pan Dengfeng, head of Anshun’s Xinchang county police attacked Guopeng when he saw the editor discussing with Pan’s ex-wife, also an employee of the newpaper. Dengfeng reportedly pounced on the journalist, knocked him down and kicked him repeatedly. Guopeng died on the following day of a cerebral haemorrhage in hospital. According to reports, Pan turned himself in only on 28 July. The motive of the attack remains unclear. • Wu Xianghu, a correspondent for the evening newspaper Taizhou Wanbao, died on 2 February from injuries sustained from a beating carried out by traffic police in October 2005 in the eastern coastal city of Taizhou. The attack was reportedly prompted by an exposé written by Xianghu on high fee collections for electric bicycle licenses. On 20 October, the day after the report appeared in the newspaper, dozens of uniformed traffic officers arrived at the offices of Taizhou Wanbao, assaulted Xianghu, carried him from the building and forced him into a police van. The journalist died of liver and kidney failure after a number of months of hospitalisation. Back to the top India (3) • Shabir Ajmad Dar, a twenty three year old photojournalist, was kidnapped and beheaded on 13, September in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashir. Dar was kidnapped on the night of 13, September, and his head and body were found separately on 14, September. • Arun Narayan Dekate, a correspondent for the Marathi-language daily Tarun Bharat died on 10 June from injuries sustained in an attack that occurred two days earlier. Dekate was riding a motorcycle with a friend when he was attacked and stoned by four people. He was taken to hospital with severe injuries and succumbed two days later. Local police has opened an investigation into the killing. Dekate recently exposed a gambling racket in his newspaper and gave information to the police which apparently helped in the arrest of criminals. He was 30 years old. • Prahlad Goala, a correspondent for the Assamese-language daily Asomiya Khabar was murdered near his home in the district of Golaghat, in the northeastern state of Assam, on 6 January. The journalist was riding a motorcycle when he was apparently rammed by a vehicle and subsequently stabbed to death. Goala’s body was found with multiple stab wounds, many to the head. It is believed more than one assailant carried out the attack. Prior to his murder, Goala had written a series of investigative articles for Asomiya Khabar that linked local forestry service officials to timber smuggling. Investigating authorities have reportedly identified a number of suspects. Zamman Jinnah, a forest warden, was arrested on suspicion of Goala’s murder and released on bail. Jinnah allegedly made death threats against Goala soon after his articles on corruption in the forestry service appeared. Two other suspects, who were not forestry service employees, have also been brought in for questioning. Back to the top Indonesia (1) • Herliyanto, a freelance reporter with the Radar Surabaya, Delta Post, and Jimber News newspapers, was found dead with numerous stab wounds in a forest near the town of Banyuanyar in East Java province, on 29 April. According to reports, Herliyanto was investigating corruption allegations involving school construction funds in the village of Tulupari. An initial police investigation revealed that the journalist was followed by six individuals riding motorcycles just prior to his murder. Herliyanto’s motorcycle was found near his body. His camera and notebook were missing. Back to the top Pakistan (4) • Mohammad Ismail, Islamabad bureau chief of Pakistan Press International, was found murdered near his home on 1 November. Local police believe his death was caused by blows to the head inflicted by an iron bar. No clear motive is known for the murder. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for an investigation into Ismail’s death. • Maqbool Hussain Siyal, a senior journalist and a district correspondent for the Online News Network, was shot dead on 14 September in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, in north-western Pakistan, an area known for sectarian violence. According to reports, Siyal was on his way to meet Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians leader Nawab Azek, when he was shot in the head by two unidentified gunmen on bicycle. As he was being rushed to nearby hospital, the journalist suffered a serious haemorrhage and died. • The body of Hayatullah Khan, a reporter and photographer who went missing on December 5, 2005, was found on June 16 in the town of Mir Ali, in the North Waziristan region near the Afghan border. According to reports, Khan, had probably been murdered on June 15. He had been shot in the head and was handcuffed when villagers found the body. Hayatullah Khan, who was a reporter for the daily “Ausuf” newspaper and also worked as a photographer for several international news agencies, was captured by five gunmen in December. The day before his abduction, Khan had taken pictures giving evidence that a senior figure from Al-Qaeda had been killed by a US missile and not by a bomb blast, as claimed by the government. Because of his reporting, Khan received numerous threats from local tribesmen, Taliban members and Pakistani security forces. • Munir Ahmed Sangi, a cameraman for the Sindhi-language Kawish Television Network (KTN) was shot on 29 May while covering a gunfight between members of the Unar and Abro tribes in the town of Larkana, in southeast Pakistan’s Sindh district. According to reports, some of the journalist’s colleagues believe he may have been deliberately targeted for the station’s reporting on a jirga, or tribal council, held by leaders of the Unar tribe. An uncle and colleague of Sangi had recently been attacked in connection with KTN’s reports that two children had been punished by the tribal court, PFUJ said. Back to the top Philippines (8) • Prudencio "Vic" Melendres, a photojournalist for the daily tabloid Tanod was shot dead on 31 July in front of his house, in the capital city of Manilla. According to reports, as he was leaving his house, three gunmen approached Melendres. One of them shot him in the back and in the abdomen. He died instantly. The motive of the attack remains unclear. He was also the cousin of Alberto Orsolino, a photographer for the tabloid Saksi, who was murdered in May, in what is suspected to have been a revenge killing. • Radio broadcaster Armando Pace was shot dead by two unidentified men on 18 July in the city of Digos, on the southern island of Mindanao. According to reports, the journalist was riding home on a motorcycle after hosting his programme at radio DXDS, when two people opened fire on him. He was reportedly hurt in the chest and in the head and taken to hospital, where he died shortly after. Pace was known for his critical commentaries on drugs and local politicians. • Reporter and Radio host, George Vigo and his wife, Maricel Alave-Vigo, also a Radio host, were reportedly gunned down by two unidentified men on 19 June in Kidapawan City, south of Manila. Two men riding a motorcycle shot the couple, as they were on their way home. Both died later in hospital of their injuries. Vigo was a frequent contributor of the local newspapers and was a presentor of a programme for young people entitled "Tingog sa Kabatan-unan" ("Youth voice") on Radio DxND-AM. Alave-Vigo hosted a weekly programme "Kalihukan sa kongreso" ("Congress affairs") on Radio DxND-AM. Known as human activists, they were involved in the creation of the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment & Equality (FREE). Relatives of the couple said they were not aware of any enemies. However the Radio DxND-AM has been targeted several times over the past years. A month ago the station reportedly received a letter containing a poster along with this message "Death to the supporters of the communist Party of the Philippines/New people’s Army/National Democratic Front. Masses, revolt!" Three years ago, a bomb was discovered in the radio station’s parking. • Fernando Batul, a commentator for Radio DZRH in Puerto Princessa, Palawan Island, was shot dead on 22 May. The journalist, who was shot six times, was ambushed by two gunmen on motorcycles as he drove to work. The killing came one week after two hand grenades were thrown at his house, but failed to detonate. The attackers also left a letterthreateningharmto his family if Batul continued his critical broadcasts. Batul was a former vice mayor of Puerto Princessa and had been highly critical of the current mayor. Police have indicated the murder of Batul appeared to be the work of hired killers. Just prior to his murder, Batul had uncovered and broadcast a case of illegal recruitment of workers in which officials were implicated. Four witnesses identified Aaron Golipardo, a member of the national police, as the person who shot Batul from a motorcycle. He was arrested on 24 May. The accomplice has not yet been identified. Police have reported that the motive for the murder may have been the journalist’s comments about Golipardo’s violent behaviour. Batul had accused the policeman on the air of threatening a waitress with his pistol. The police added that Golipardo had already been accused of links to other murders. • Orlando Tapios Mendoza, a part-time newspaper editor and contributor to the local newspapers the Tarlac Profile and Tarlac Patrol, was shot several times by unidentified men while driving home from his farm in Tarlac, a city located 100 kilometres north of Manila on 4 April. Shot several times by his assailants, the journalist sustained fatal wounds to his head and body. At the time of his murder, Mendoza also held a position in the local government that involved resolving land disputes. Prior to joining the journalism profession, Mendoza was responsible for implementing the government’s land reform programme. According to reports, Mendoza had recently been sued for libel by a local faction of the Philippine Guardian Brotherhood, a non-official organization for members of the military. The libel case was dismissed by a local court in late March 2006. Some of the journalist’s recent reporting had also been highly critical of the group. Mendoza was also vice-president of the Camp Marabulos Press Club and director of the Tarlac chapter of the Central Luzon Media Association. • Graciano Aquino, a columnist for the weekly newspaper Central Luzon Forum, was shot dead while watching a cockfight at an arena in the town of Morong, a city north of Manillia on 21 January. According to reports, armed attackers, thought to be members of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines-Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan, approached Aquino and shot him at close range in the nape of the neck. Prior to joining the newspaper, Aquino was a reporter for the radio station, dzRH. • Rolly Cañete, a radio broadcaster and political publicist, was shot by unidentified gunmen in the southern city of Pagadian on 20 January. According to reports, Cañete’s attackers fled on motorcycle after shooting the journalist three times in the back. Cañete was a part-time broadcaster on three radio stations, two of which are controlled by congressman Antonio Cerilles and his wife provincial governor Aurora Cerilles, the reports said. Both politicians employed Cañete as their publicist. Back to the top Sri Lanka (5) • Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, managing director of the Tamil newspaper Namathu Eelanadu, and a former parliamentary representative of the Tamil party TULF, was killed on 20 August in his home in the city of Tellippalai, in north-east Sri Lanka. The motive for the killing remains unclear. • Sampath Lakmal de Silva, a freelance journalist specialised in defence questions, was shot dead on 2 July at Dehiwela, in the capital city of Colombo. According to reports, Lakmal was abducted from his parents’ home by unknown men. His body was found three kilometers from the house. The governmental Security Information Centre reported that three bullets were found da Silva’s body. • Two employees of the Tamil-language daily Uthayan were killed in a shooting attack on 2 May. According to reports, gunmen burst into the newspaper’s offices and demanded to see the editor. When they learnt he was absent, they opened fire and shot Suresh Kumar, the newspaper’s marketing manager, and Ranjith Kumar, another employee. Two other people sustained bullet wounds. The day before the killing, the newspaper had published a cartoon of pro-government Tamil leader Douglas Devananda of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP). • Subramaniyam Sugitharajah, a journalist for the Tamil-language daily Sudar Oli, was killed by an unidentified gunman while on his way to work in the eastern port town of Trincomalee on 24 January. The motive behind his slaying is not immediately known, however Sugitharajah had recently reported on the killing of five Tamil students in Trincomalee, according to local news reports. Military spokesmen initially said that the students were killed by their own grenade in a botched attack on the army, but photographs taken by the journalist showed that the men had died of gunshot wounds. Back to the top

THE MEDIA TICKING CLOCK REGISTERS THE NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. The PEC includes in its statistics work-related deaths among

To read our statements and press releases, click (left) on NEWS

96 in 2006 - 109 since June 19 2006 - 48 in 2007

NOTE: THE MEDIA TICKING CLOCK REGISTERS THE NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. The PEC includes in its statistics work-related deaths among journalists, correspondents, freelances, cameramen, sound recordists, technicians, photographers, producers, administrators, cyber-reporters. The figures do not register casualties among other media employees like drivers, guards, security staff and translators. Sources are PEC members, news agencies, national press associations, IFEX, IFJ, RSF, UNESCO, CPJ, UNAMI (at least two sources). THE MEDIA TICKING CLOCK IS UPDATED MONTHLY SINCE THE FIRST SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL JUNE 19, 2006.

MAY 2007: 96 Mario Rolando Lopez Sanchez, Radio Sonora, Guatemala, May 3 - 97 Mohammed Abdullahi Khalif, Galkayo Radio Voice, Somalia, May 5 - 98 Dimitri Tchebotaïev, photoreporter, Russia, Newsweek, Iraq, May 6 - 99 Raad Mutashar, al-Raad, Kirkuk, Iraq, May 8 - 100 Imad Abd Obeidi, al-Raad, Kirkuk, Iraq, May 8 - 101 Aqeel Abdul-Qader, al-Raad, Kirkuk, Iraq, May 8 - 102 Vinod Kumar, Dinakaran, Madurai, India, May 9 - 103 G Gopinath, Dinakaran, Madurai, India, May 9 - 104 Sulaiman Abdul Rahim al-A'shi, Falasteen, Gaza, May 13 - 105 Abshir Ali Gabra, radio IQK FM, Mogadishu, Somalia, May 15 - 106 Ahmed Hassan, radio SBC, Bosaso, Somalia, May 15 - 107 Alix Joseph, Radio Provinciale, Gonaives, Haïti, May 16 - 108 Alaa Uldeen Aziz, ABC TV, Iraq, May 17 - 109 Saif Laith Yousuf, ABC TV, Iraq, May 17 -

APRIL 2007: 84 Edward Chikombo, ZBC, Zimbabwe, April 1 - 85 Khamail Khalaf, Radio Free Iraq, Iraq, April 5 - 86 Thaer Ahmed Jaber, Baghdad TV, Iraq, April 5 - 87 Husain Nizaer, Baghdad TV, Iraq, April 5 - 88 Amado Ramirez, Televisa, Acapulco Radiorama, Mexico, April 5 - 89 Othman Al-Mashhadani, Al Watan, Iraq, April 6 - 90 Ajmal Naqshbandi, Afghanistan, April 8 - 91 Iman Youssef Abdullah, radio Mosul, Iraq, April 12 - 92 Subash Chandraboas, Nilam, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, April 16 - 93 Carmelo Palacios, radio dxRB, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, April 18 - 94 Saul Martinez Ortega, Diario de Agua Prieta, Interdiario, Mexico, April 23 - 95 Selvarajah Rajivarnam, Uthayan, Sri Lanka, April 29

MARCH 2007: 77 Jamal al-Zubaidi, Al-Safir, Iraq, March 3 - 78 Mohan Hussein al-Dhahr, Al-Mashreq, Iraq, March 4 - 79 Yusuf Sabri, Biladi TV, Iraq, March 6 - 80 Ivan Safronov, Kommersant, Russia, March 5 - 81 Hussein Al Jabouri, Al-Safir, Iraq, March 16 - 82 Miguel Perez Julca, Radio Exitos-Radio Oriental-Radio Jaen, Peru, March 16 - 83 Hamid Al-Douleimi, Al-Nahrain TV, Iraq, March 19 -

FEBRUARY 2007: 69 Suhad Shakir al-Kinani, Council of Representatives' press office, Iraq, Feb 4 - 70 Robson Barbosa Bezerra, photographer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb 8 - 71 Samuel Kwabena Ennin, Ashanti chairman Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana, Feb 9 - 72 Ali Mohammed Omar, Warsan Radio, Baidoa, Somalia, Feb 16 - 73 Rahman Qul, Andkhoy, Afghanistan, Feb 17 - 74 Hernani Pastolero, Lightning Courier, Mindanao, Philippines, Feb 19 - 75 Hussein Al Zoubaidi, Al-Ahali, Iraq, Feb 19 - 76 Abderrazak Hachim Al-Khakani, Joumhouriyat Al Irak, Iraq, Feb 20 -

JANUARY 2007: 62 Ahmed Hadi Naji, Associated Press Television, Iraq, Jan 5 - 63 Fessehaye Joshua Yohannes, Setit, Eritrea, Jan 11 - 64 Khudr Younis al-Obaidi, Al-Diwan, Mossul, Iraq, Jan 12 - 65 Yassine Aid Assef, al-Sabah, Iraq, Jan 14 - 66 Hrant Dink, Agos, Istanbul, Turkey, Jan 19 - 67 Jean-Rémy Badio, photographer, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 19 - 68 Mounjid Al-Toumaimi, freelance, Iraq, Jan 28

DECEMBER 2006: 57 Nabil Ibrahim Al-Dulaimi, Radio Dijla, Iraq, Dec 4 - 58 Ponciano Grande, Radio dwJJ, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, Dec 7 - 59 Aswan Ahmed Lutfallah, Associated Press Television, Iraq, Dec 12 - 60 Andres Acosta, Action Radio, Philippines, Dec 20 - 61 Godwin Agbroko, This Day, Lagos, Nigeria, Dec 22

NOVEMBER 2006: 44 Mohammad Ismail, Pakistan Press International, Islamabad, Pakistan, Nov 1 - 45 Ahmed Al Rashid, Al Sharqiya TV, Iraq, Nov 3 - 46 Misael Tamayo Hernandez, El Despertar de la Costa, Guerrero, Mexico, Nov 10 - 47 Mohammed al-Ban, Al Sharqiya TV, Iraq, Nov 13 - 48 Fadia Mohammed Abid, Al-Masar, Iraq, Nov 15 - 49 Luma Mohammed Reyad, Al-Dustoor, Iraq, Nov 15 - 50 José Manuel Nava Sanchez, Excelsior, Mexico-City, Nov 16 - 51 Walid Hassan, Al-Sharqiya TV, Iraq, Nov 20 - 52 Roberto Marcos Garcia, Testimonio, Mexico, Nov 21 - 53 Raad Jaafar Hamadi, Al Sabah, Iraq, Nov 22 - 54 Fadhila Abdelkarim, TV station Nainawa, Iraq, Nov 26 - 55 Marino Perez Murcia, Radio Habana, Colombia, Nov 26 - 56 Adolfo Sanchez Guzman, Televisa Veracruz, Mexico, Nov 30

OCTOBER 2006: 27 Anna Politkovskaïa, Novaya Gazeta, Russia, Oct 7 - 28 Christian Struwe, freelance/Deutsche Welle, Afghanistan, Oct 7 - 29 Karen Fischer , freelance/Deutsche Welle, Afghanistan, Oct 7 - 30 Azad Mohammed Hassan, Radio Dar Al Salam, Iraq, Oct 10 - 31 Abderrahim Nasrallah Al Choumari, director, Al Chaabiya TV, Iraq, Oct 12 - 32 Nawfal Al Choumari, Al Chaabiya TV, Iraq, Oct 12 - 33 Hussein Ali, Al Chaabiya TV, Iraq, Oct 12 - 34 Dhakir Hussein Al Shuwaili, Al Shaabiya TV, Iraq, Oct 12 - 35 Ahmad Shaaban, Al Shaabiya TV, Iraq, Oct 12 - 36 Sami Nasrallah Al Shumari, Al Chaabiya TV, Oct 12 - 37 Raid Qais Al Shammari, Al Iraqiya TV, Iraq, Oct 13 - 38 Dhiaa Al Hajjar, Al Sabah, Iraq, Oct 13 - 39 Ali Halil, Al Iraqiya TV, Iraq, Oct 16 - 40 Anatoly Voronin, Itar-Tass, Russia, Oct 16 - 41 Naqsheen Hamad, Al Iraqiya TV, Oct 22 - 42 Brad Will, Indymedia network, Oaxaca, Mexico, Oct 27 - 43 Sherin Hamid, Al Iraqiya TV, Iraq, Oct 30

SEPTEMBER 2006: 20 Mohamed Taha, Al-Wifaq, Sudan, Sept 6 - 21 Eduardo Maas Bol, Radio Punto, Guatemala, Sept 9 - 22 Abdel Karim Al-Roubaï, Al-Sabah, Iraq, Sept 9 - 23 Hadi Hanawi Al-Joubouri, freelance, Iraq Sept 12 - 24 Safaa Ismail Inad, Al-Watan, Iraq, Sept 13 - 25 Ogoulsapar Mouradova, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Turkmenistan, Sept 14 - 26 Ahmed Riyad Al-Karbouli, Baghdad TV, Iraq, Sept 18 -

AUGUST 2006: 14 Adel Naji Al Mansouri, Al Alam TV, Iraq Aug 1 - 15 Riyad Atto Talafar al Youm, Iraq Aug 1 - 16 Mohammed Abbas Hamed, Al-Bayinnah Al-Jadida, Iraq, Aug 7 - 17 Ismail Amine Ali, freelance, Iraq, Aug 7 - 18 Milton Fabian Sanchez , Yumbo Estereo, Columbia, Aug 9 - 19 Enrique Perea Quintanilla, Dos caras, una verdad, Mexixo, Aug 9 -

JULY 2006: 4 Sampath Lakmal Silva, Sri Lanka, July 1 - 5 Augusto Pedro, Jornal de Angola, July 8 - 6 Bapuwa Mwamba, Le Phare, RDC, July 8 - 7 Benicio Wedeinge, Public Television, Angola, July 16 - 8 Xiao Guopeng, Anshun, China, July 18 - 9 Armando Pace Radio DXDS, Philippines, July 18 - 10 Sleiman Chidiac, LBC, Lebanon, July 22 - 11 Ajuricaba Monassa, freelance, Brazil, July 24 - 12 Layal Nagib, Al Jarass, July 23 - 13 Evgueni Guerassimenko, Saratovski Rasklad, Russia, July 26

JUNE 19 2006 - JUNE 30 2006: 1 George Vigo, Union of Catholic Asian News, June 19, Philippines - 2 Martin Adler, swedish freelance, June 23, Somalia - 3 Osama Qadir, freelance/Fox News, June 29, Iraq

JANUARY - JUNE 19 2006: 35 journalists killed: Prahlad Goala, Asomiya Khaba, India, Jan 6 - Rolly Canete, radio DXPA,DXBZ,DXPR, Philippines, Jan 20 - Hamza Hussein, Al Diyar TV, Iraq, Jan 23 - Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, Sudar Oli, Sri Lanka, Jan 24 - Mahmoud Zaal, Baghdad TV, Iraq, Jan 25 - Wu Xianghu, Taizhou Wanbao, China, Feb 2 - Jose Luis Leon Desiderio, Radio Minutera, Ecuador, Feb 14 - Khaled Mahmoud Al-Falahi, Al Arabiya TV, Iraq, Feb 23 - Adnane Kahïnallah, Al-Arabiya TV, Iraq, Feb 23 - Atwar Bahjat, Al-Arabiya TV, Iraq, Feb 23 - Ilia Zimine, Russian TV, Russia, Feb 26 - Monsef Al-Khalidi, Baghdad TV Sat, Iraq, Mar 7 - Jaime Arturo Olvera Bravo, La Voz de Michoacan, Mexico, Mar 9 - Ramiro Tellez Contreras, Radio Exa 95.7 FM, Mexico, Mar 10 - Amjad Hameed, Al-Iraqiya, Iraq, Mar 11 - Muhsin Khudhair, Alef Ba, Iraq, Mar 13 - Gustavo Rojas Gabalo, Radio Panzemu, Colombia, Mar 20 - Kamal Manahi Anbar, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Iraq, Mar 26 - Jorge Aguirre, El Mundo, Venezuela, Apr 5 - Koussai Kahdban, Radio Al-Bilad, Iraq, Apr 22 - Kumar Suresh, Uthayan, Sri Lanka, May 2 - Kumar Ranjith, Uthayan, Sri Lanka, May 2 - Saoud Mazahem Al-Hadithi, Al-Baghdadia, Iraq, May 5 - Mouazaz Baroud, Al-Nahrain, Iraq, May 7 - Abdel Magid Al Mohammadaoui, freelance, Iraq, May 7 - Abdel Chaker Al Dalimi, freelance, Iraq, May 7 - Ismail Mohammad Khalaf, Iraq, May 7 - Leith Al-Doulaïmi, Al-Nahrain, Iraq, May 7 - Munir Sangi, Kawish Television, Pakistan, May 29 - James Brolan, CBS, sound recordist, Iraq, May 29 - Paul Douglas, CBS, Iraq, May 29 - Ali Jaafar, Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq, May 31 - Arun Narayan Dekate, Tarun Bharat, India, June 8 - Ibrahim Seneid, Al-Bashara, Iraq, June 13 - Hayatullah Khan, Ausaf, Pakistan, June 16

Waking Up the Coast/ El Despertar de la Costa

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

"Waking Up the Coast" / "El Despertar de la Costa"

Ten days ago today, the body of Misael Tamayo Hernandez, an editor for the newspaper, "El Despertar de la Costa," was found in the Venus Motel on a highway outside the resort city of Zihautanejo, Mexico. Partially clad, Hernandez was discovered under a thin sheet, his hands tied behind his back, the apparent victim of a heart attack. (AP) There were three puncture marks, on Mr. Hernandez, leading to widespread speculation of foul play, that the prominent editor, widely respected for "waking up" his community with respect to government corruption, and organized crime, had been murdered.

Only hours earlier, "El Despertar de la Costa" published a story on the city's practice of giving illegal breaks on water services to individuals and local businesses. Unfortunately for him, Tamayo Hernandez now joins the growing ranks of journalists, in Mexico, who have been assaulted, and/or killed in that country, in the past few years, as a result of exposing drug trafficking, gangs, and corruption.

Even more disconcerting is news that, since January, 2006, some 75 journalists have been killed worldwide making this the deadliest year, on record, for those in the news reporting business, according to the World Association of Journalists. Over the past decade alone, more than 500 journalists have been slain; most of whom are, and will most likely remain, cold cases.
For more than two decades, PEN American Center has been commemorating the incarceration, and/or murder of writers; PEN has named November 15th "The Day of the Imprisoned Writer" and report that, since November, 2005, some 36 journalists around the world have been assasinated, most as a consequence of their investigative work.

In Mexico alone, the slaying ofTamayo Hernandez marks the third time a journalist has been killed, in that country, this year.. Rosendo Pardo Ozuna , prominent critic of the Juan Sabines Guerrero government, was slain in March, and Enrique Perea Quintanilla, a well-respected crime writer who had also written on corruption in state government, turned up dead in early August.

No one will forget, most recently, the high profile, and wrenching report, out of Russia ,of the hunting down, and shooting of renowned journalist, and writer, Anna Politkovskaya, gunned down in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building on October 7th, a slaying that is widely thought to have resulted from her reporting of the Putin government's human rights abuses in Chechnya. Less than two weeks after Politkovskaya was gunned down, Anatoly Voronin, the business manager of Russia's premiere news agency, Itar-tass, was also murdered.

Still, over the past 48 hours,there have been a barrage of reports about Fox, and their aborted efforts to broadcast an inteview with O.J. Simpson. But, how quickly the mainstream media, and blogosphere, dropped any coverage, or inquiry into any connection between the death of a widely respected Moscow reporter, and her steadfast efforts, in the face of frequent threats, to expose torture on the part of her government. One would think chasing down facts, and getting to the bottom of who killed Anna P., Tamayo Hernandez, and the more than 30 journalists whose murder can be directly linked to their reporting would be a worthy enterprise for members of the press corps in this country, and internationally, but alas no such efforts appear to be underway. Ironically, the unprecedented assault on the press may itself be among the most under-reported, and under-covered stories of the year.

So it is then that, in the interest of equal time, with heartfelt respect for those who have made this great sacrifice to expose systemic corruption, as well as injustice, and in hopes that those most ambitious among us might be inspired to continue their work, as well as search for answers as to why they were targeted, I list the names of each and every writer who made the ultimate sacrifice this year: Guatam Das, Bangladesh; Roberto Ramos, Philippines; Gebran Tueni, Lebanon; Prahlad Goala, India; Vagif Kochetkov, Russia; Graciano Aquino, Philippines; Subramanlyam Sugirdharajan, Sri Lanka; Wu Xianghu, China; Muhsin Khudhai, Iraq; Rosendo Pardo Ozuna, Mexico, Orlando Tapios Mendoza, Philippines; Ilias Aktas , Turkey; Herliyanto, Indonesia; Vadim Gudik, Ukraine; Aran Narayan Dekate, India; Hayatullah Khan, Pakistan; Sampath Lakmal De Silva, Sri Lanka; Alaa Hassan, Iraq; Bapuwa Mwamba, Democratic Republic of Congo; Xiao Guopeng, China; Ajuricaba Monassa De Paula, Brazil; Yevgeny Gerasimenko, Russia; Riyad Atto, Iraq; Abdul Wahab Abdul Razeq Ahmad Al Qaisie, Iraq; Gregoiry De Bourg, Kazakhstan; Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, Sri Lanka; Enrique Perea Quintanilla, Mexico; Jesus Flores Rojas, Venezuela; Guillermo Cabrera Medina, Colombia; Mohamed Taha, Sudan; Bellal Hossain Dafadar, Bangladesh; Magbool Hussein Siyal, Pakistan; Anna Politkovskaya, Russia; Jose Bonilla Romero, Colombia; Anatoly Voronin, Russia; Abdelmajid Ismael Khalil, Iraq; and Mohammad Ismail, Pakistan.

May they rest in peace, and may their murders help to awaken the coast, as well as the border between truth and fiction.

World Cares About Press Freedom Every Day, Hughes Says

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02 May 2007

World Cares About Press Freedom Every Day, Hughes Says

Hughes May 1 speech on 21st Century threats to press freedom

(begin text)

U.S. Department of State

Karen P. Hughes, Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy

Freedom House and Broadcasting Board of Governors

May 1, 2007

As Delivered

21st Century Threats to Press Freedom

Thank you, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen -- I’m honored to be here today with Freedom House and the Broadcasting Board of Governors to speak on the important issue of press freedom. Some of you may know I started my career as a journalist. I worked for seven years as a reporter for a television station in Dallas-Fort Worth.

As a reporter, I covered everything from tornadoes to the Texas Legislature -- and it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between them. As I covered political process, I found myself drawn, because I saw the impact that it had on people’s lives -- from the taxes paid to hours the parks were open. I covered political campaigns and the 1980 presidential race -- and while some journalists become cynical about politics, I had the opposite experience -- I found myself inspired by the good people I met from both political parties who were willing to put their names on the line, endure the criticism and bad headlines that inevitably come and get involved to try to make their communities and their country a better place. I decided I wanted to be part of that, so in 1984, I left reporting to become the Texas press coordinator for the Reagan-Bush campaign. Since then I’ve worked for local, state and national campaigns and in the Texas Governor’s office, at the White House and now at the State Department. So over the course of the 30 years of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to view the press and the government from, as the song says, both sides now.

And while those of us in government sometimes love to grumble about the latest headline or the way a story is written, we also recognize the vital importance of a free press to a free society. As Secretary Rice said recently, quote: “There is no more important pillar of democracy than a free and active press.”

Freedom of the press is often called the First Freedom, and for good reason -- in effect, it protects freedom of thought and expression. A free press is indispensable to a vigorous debate and an informed electorate. Journalists hold government officials to account –- I think one of the best ethics tests ever devised is: would you be comfortable reading about this decision or action on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper -- above the fold. Journalists expose corruption and crime, and shine a spotlight on human rights abuses. Perhaps for those very reasons, we are living in a time of great danger for journalists around the world -- they are at greater risk than ever of being threatened, jailed or killed -- the threats come from a variety of places -- organized crime, by terrorists, narco-traffickers, even sometimes by governments themselves.

This disturbing trend should set off alarm bells -- and a much louder international outcry. According to Reporters without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers, a record number -- more than 110 -- journalists and media workers were killed last year, marking 2006 as "the bloodiest year on record for journalism worldwide." In the last decade, more than 500 journalists have been killed.

One of the most prominently reported cases last year was the murder of Anna Politkovskaya the courageous Russian journalist who was shot execution-style last October. She was found dead in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building, shot four times. According to news reports, a pistol was left at her feet, the calling card of a contract killing.

Politkovskaya had been a fierce critic of the war in Chechnya and of the Russian Government. Her life had been threatened many times, yet she pressed on -- slogging through snow and frozen creeks to get around border guards and slipping into one area by riding on a hay wagon with farm laborers. On the day of her murder, she had planned to file a lengthy story on torture practices believed to be being used by Chechen authorities. Her final media interview before her death was with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which has special poignancy for me. As part of my job, I represent Secretary Rice on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees those radios. Politkovskaya was a regular participant on the Russian service broadcasts of RFE/RL -- one of the few electronic media outlets in Russia that would put her daring reports on the air. On the morning of her death, she told a friend she had awakened with the feeling that it would be the day she would die. Unfortunately, her reporter’s instincts were right.

I mention her story first because it has become symbolic of the new brutality against journalists. Anna was recently selected by UNESCO as this year’s recipient of the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. We at the Department of State have renewed our call to the Russian government to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation of her murder. Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice.

Journalists like Anna Politkovskaya are on the front lines of human freedom. Yet while her story is perhaps the best known, she is unfortunately not alone.

In every region of the world, journalists are under siege. In Latin America -- five journalists in Venezuela have been killed in five years as the press has been restricted … others have been killed in Colombia, Guatemala, and Guyana. In Mexico, a half-dozen journalists have been killed in direct reprisal for their reporting. Last November, the editor of a newspaper there was found dead in a hotel room, with his hands tied behind his back, a day after his paper ran articles about organized crime and corruption in city government.

In Southeast Asia -- nine journalists have been killed in Pakistan alone since 2002, including Daniel Pearl, and more recently Mohammad Ismail, the bureau chief for Pakistan Press International in Islamabad. He was found with his head bashed in by an iron bar.

In the Middle East -- two leading journalists in Lebanon -- Samir Kassir and Gebran Tueni -- were murdered in 2005. Both were strong critics of Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs and champions of Lebanon’s sovereignty and freedom. May Chidiac, a Lebanese television reporter who had criticized Syria’s involvement in Lebanon, was wounded by a bomb planted under the driver’s seat of her car. She lost her left hand and her left leg. Chidiac was in the hospital nine months and endured 26 surgeries -- but with typical spirit, she said, “I gave my country a hand to fight with and a leg to kick all the enemies with, and they are not few.” She went back on the air last summer, even though she was still receiving threats.

We are gravely concerned about the threats against journalists who work for information services like RFE/RL and the Voice of America -– the lone source of credible news and information for people in some parts of the world. VOA correspondents have been killed in Iraq, targeted in Zimbabwe, assaulted in Serbia, arrested in Angola, forced into hiding in Rwanda, forced out of Burundi, detained in Nigeria.

Just a few weeks ago, Khamail Muhsin, a talented broadcaster with Radio Free Iraq, was kidnapped and shot in Baghdad. She was a mother of three children and a brave voice for freedom of speech.

An RFE/RL Turkmen Service stringer was jailed by the government last year and died under suspicious circumstances. An RFE/RL Uzbek service correspondent was sentenced to six months in jail for allegedly insulting a security service employee while covering the 2005 violence against civilians in Andijon. News bureaus were shut down in Tashkent and Russian service correspondents have been detained.

As we meet here today, the Iranian government is refusing to allow RFE/RL journalist Parnaz Azima to leave Iran, where she went to visit her ailing and hospitalized mother. Iranian officials seized her passport when she arrived and have thus far refused to return it, telling her lawyer it would not be returned for “two or three years.” We strongly object to Iranian officials keeping Parnaz Azima in Iran against her will and call on the government to allow her to leave the country so she can return to her work and, most importantly, to her children and grandchildren.

A worldwide census last year showed that 134 journalists were imprisoned, a record high. In Burma, two men were sentenced to 19 years in prison simply for publishing a collection of pro-democracy poems. On March 12, Burmese journalist U Win Tin, imprisoned for almost 18 years by the military junta and in frail health, marked his 77th birthday behind bars.

The largest number of journalists -- more than 30 -- imprisoned anywhere in the world are in China. Some 50 internet writers are also behind bars there. Despite progress on some fronts, China cannot yet be proud of its record on press freedom. It has taken a welcome step by announcing a temporary relaxation of regulations on foreign journalists to allow them to work more freely in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and when I visited China I spoke with government officials about our hope that this will become permanent to bring China closer to international standards.

The steady stream of reports that cross my desk confirm that journalists today face greater danger than ever before -- just last week, a dissident Cuban journalist was sentenced to four years in prison. In Turkmenistan, at least seven RFE/RL correspondents have had their land-line and mobile telephones blocked in recent weeks. Reporters say security officials are following them daily. And last week, an RFE/RL Belarus Service listener was arrested by the KGB for distributing materials promoting the radio programs. Belarus has become one of the world’s most censored countries.

The United States is concerned that many governments are not only moving to silence individual voices, but also are suppressing independent media altogether -– in Burma and North Korea, where there are no independent journalists; Syria allows almost no freedom for local press; and government severely restricts or controls the press in Tunisia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Cuba, and Equatorial Guinea. Controversial amendments to the media law in Kazakhstan tightened government control over the media, and the Emergency Law has partially restricted freedom of speech and press in Egypt

These worldwide threats to free press should be of great concern to the family of nations. They threaten, not just individual journalists, but civil society itself.

Silencing journalists -– whether they write from Internet cafés, in literary journals, or newspapers -– has a chilling effect. Information is suppressed and in this global world, information is vital. Stifling reports about cases of bird flu increases the risk for not only people in one country, but also people in every country. Killing reporters who investigate the drug trade has consequences beyond borders, encouraging the spread of organized crime. Assassinating reporters who unmask government misdeeds allows corruption to grow and impact an expanding circle of businesses and individuals.

What should we all do? One of the most important things we can do is to shine a spotlight on the problem -- build awareness of the threats to journalists and the critical need for a free and vibrant press.

Media groups including the World Association of Newspapers, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters without Borders have been speaking out and protesting to governments with admirable resolve.

The linkage between a free press and democracy and development has been gaining more attention in international bodies such as UNESCO, the WTO, and the World Bank. An even stronger focus is warranted.

The United States government is fully committed to strengthening the important role of free media. Access to information and transparency are so important to developing countries that we track media freedom as a key part of our annual Human Rights Report -– reporting and denouncing violations. We are working to build a stronger foundation for international press freedom by providing assistance for production of radio and television programs that are independent of state-controlled media, and funding programs for Internet access and training.

With freedom comes responsibility, of course, and journalists have a responsibility to be fair and accurate. The U.S. government supports many non-government organizations that provide training in standards of fairness and objectivity for journalists, editors and media managers from countries worldwide. In partnership with the Aspen Institute and a number of journalism schools, we have launched a new program the Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program, to provide advanced training for foreign journalists. Nearly 200 of them just completed a three week visit to America, meeting with policymakers, receiving training in professional standards of objective reporting and learning more about our country.

And I am pleased to report that in the future we will provide spaces in our Edward R. Murrow journalism program for the survivors of slain journalists who choose to study journalism or become journalists themselves. Their work will keep the spirit of freedom of expression alive.

I’m glad that Under Secretary Paula Dobriansky could be here earlier today to talk about threats to internet freedom. Last February, Secretary Rice launched the Global Internet Freedom Task Force (GIFT), recognizing that internet freedom is a key component of press freedom. The U.S. is overall committed to supporting innovative approaches to combating internet censorship, such as developing a secure website for journalists and human rights defenders in closed countries.

One of our most important roles at the State Department is to defend the defenders of freedom. When governments move to limit press freedoms, we are speaking out forcefully. President Bush has personally asked the Chinese government to release New York Times researcher Zhao Yan. Secretary Rice met with the colleagues and son of Anna Politkovskaya to express her condolences during her visit to Moscow and did the first interview with Lebanese journalist May Chidiac when she came back to work. When the Government of Azerbaijan closed that country’s leading TV and radio station, ANS, last fall, our government officials, including me, protested at many levels. Today, ANS is back on the air.

This week, on May 3, the world will observe World Press Freedom Day to honor the brave journalists from Belarus to Cuba -- to Iran who are struggling valiantly for the right to express themselves and to inform the citizens of their nations.

The message must go out that the world cares about press freedom, not just on Press Freedom Day, but every day, to signal that people are watching and pressing governments for full accountability for attacks against journalists and against a free press.

Just before he was murdered in January, Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink apparently sensed he was in danger and wrote his last column about the death threats he was receiving. When he was shot dead the next week outside his newspaper office, thousands of people poured into the streets and the Turkish Prime Minister condemned the shooting as an attack on peace and the stability of the country. As he put it, “A bullet was fired at freedom of thought and democratic life.”

So to all the courageous journalists -- writers, editors, producers, cameramen -- who are daily risking their lives in many countries, we want you to know that America stands with you in supporting free of thought and democratic life. We want to be your partners and supporters in keeping freedom of the press and thus freedom of thought and expression flourishing.

Thank you.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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IFJ Shocked by “Sickeningly Brutal” Murder of Senior Journalist in Pakistan

02/11/2006

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is appalled by the brutal murder of Mohammad Ismail, a senior journalist and bureau chief of Pakistan Press International (PPI), who was attacked by unknown assailants in Islamabad on November 1.

According to an IFJ affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Ismail’s body was found in the early hours of the morning, with his head completely smashed open, having been struck with a hard and blunt object.

“The sickeningly brutal murder of Ismail highlights the worsening safety situation in Pakistan for media workers and the ongoing acts of violence that target journalists,” IFJ President Christopher Warren said.

“The IFJ strongly condemns this violent murder and we call upon the government to urgently take action and find Ismail’s killers so that such an horrific crime does not go unpunished,” Warren said.

Ismail’s murder comes after a string of attacks on journalists in Pakistan.

According to the PFUJ, in the last six months, four journalists have been killed, the child brothers of two journalists were murdered, four journalists were detained and tortured by intelligence agencies, and there have been scores of other violent incidents and threats to journalists. Furthermore, none of these murders have been solved.

“Ismail is the fourth journalist to be killed in the last six months and given Pakistan’s recent history of attacks, journalist abductions and assaults, it appears the safety situation for journalists in Pakistan is rapidly deteriorating,” Warren said.

The IFJ, as the organisation representing more than 500,000 journalists in over 115 countries, demands a full investigation into Ismail’s terrible murder and into the recent kidnapping and torture of journalists Saeed Sarbazi and Mehruddin Marri, as well as the release of the inquiry report into the murder of journalist Hayatullah Khan.

“The fact authorities have failed to solve a single journalist murder case, combined with the repression of inquiry reports, indicates a deeply concerning development of a culture of impunity in Pakistan,” Warren said.

“The Pakistan government has been far too inactive in these cases and it is time for them to intervene to protect and preserve the Pakistan people’s right to a safe, free and independent media,” the IFJ president said.

For more information please contact IFJ Asia Pacific +61 2 9333 0919

Probe into journalist’s murder demanded

Probe into journalist’s murder demanded

Asim Rana

ISLAMABAD: The journalists belonging to Rawalpindi and Islamabad Press Club are wondering what would happen to the investigations into the case of murder of Pakistan Press International (PPI) bureau chief Malik Muhammad Ismail which are leading to no ample, definite and conclusive evidence who actually was behind this heinous and gruesome killing. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Syed Huma Ali has also demanded an inquiry into the horrible murder of senior journalist Muhammad Ismail Malik. He has demanded that the culprits be awarded exemplary punishment. He said the federal government should arrest the killer to prove their concern and allay the sense of insecurity among the journalists' community over the situation. This is really unfortunate that mystery still shrouds the case as the police authorities are heavily engaged in dealing with the security arrangements in connection with the Chief Justice of Pakistan's addresses to the bars and the rallies of the opposition parties. The delay in investigation of the case and the negative results reflect badly on the performance of the police which already do not enjoy so good reputation. The failure on the part of the police to get any reliable proof revealing the face of the real murderer is indeed quite shocking for the journalist community and the family and relatives of the deceased journalist who have been waiting anxiously that justice should not only be done to them but should also seem to be done. It was some six months ago that Ismail was mysteriously killed in F-6 in the woods near a busy Super Market of Islamabad. But the police are acting as if they don't give much importance to the case and are keeping the hapless family of the deceased on a long wait and are dragging the case. Perhaps, they are not interested in pursuing the case and want to dump it forever in the trash file of the police department for the reasons known to them alone. They conceivably forget that the murder of a widely respected journalist is not a thing to be easily brushed under the carpet and the journalists' fraternity will not allow them to do so. It's surprising to note here that Islamabad police have arrested many suspects in connection with the murder of senior journalist Malik Muhammad Ismail Khan. However, it could not be confirmed whether or not the arrested persons were involved in the case. The Islamabad Police, FIA and intelligence agencies were ordered to probe into murder of senior journalist, Muhammad Ismail. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Islamabad, Iftikhar Ahmad, former SSP Islamabad Sikandar Hayat, Commandant Special Investigation Group (SIG) of FIA, Mirza Yasin, SP (Investigation) Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, officials of secret agencies and other relevant authorities were deputed for investigation. IGP himself supervised the investigation team. The police, FIA and secret agencies are also investigating the matter in their individual capacity other than the joint efforts of the said police officials' team but they are all clueless after about six months of the incident. The investigation officer said that the police were also pondering over the possible enmity behind the scene. He said the investigators had collected some evidences that the victim had a private room in Farooqia Market in F-6/1, but the police could not trace the existence of the room. Following the circumstantial evidences, it can be believed that the victim went into the tent himself as the police found his properly folded waistcoat, shoes and socks in the tent, the investigation officer said. The question is why he went into the tent, he said, adding it could not be ruled out that he was trapped by the criminals to come in the tent. The police would make headway to arrest the criminals soon, he said and added that the detained suspect was directly or indirectly involved in the assassination. Source: Daily Post Date: 11.05.2007

21st Century Threats to Press Freedom

Karen Hughes , Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Remarks to Freedom House and Broadcasting Board of Governors
Washington, DC
May 1, 2007

View Video

Thank you, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen -- I'm honored to be here today with Freedom House and the Broadcasting Board of Governors to speak on the important issue of press freedom. Some of you may know I started my career as a journalist. I worked for seven years as a reporter for a television station in Dallas-Fort Worth.

As a reporter, I covered everything from tornadoes to the Texas Legislature - and it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between them. As I covered political process, I found myself drawn, because I saw the impact that it had on people's lives - from the taxes paid to hours the parks were open. I covered political campaigns and the 1980 presidential race - and while some journalists become cynical about politics, I had the opposite experience - I found myself inspired by the good people I met from both political parties who were willing to put their names on the line, endure the criticism and bad headlines that inevitably come and get involved to try to make their communities and their country a better place. I decided I wanted to be part of that, so in 1984, I left reporting to become the Texas press coordinator for the Reagan-Bush campaign - since then I've worked for local, state and national campaigns and in the Texas Governor's office, at the White House and now at the State Department - So over the course of the 30 years of my career, I've had the opportunity to view the press and the government from, as the song says, both sides now.

And while those of us in government sometimes love to grumble about the latest headline or the way a story is written, we also recognize the vital importance of a free press to a free society. As Secretary Rice said recently, quote: "There is no more important pillar of democracy than a free and active press."

Freedom of the press is often called the First Freedom, and for good reason. -- in effect, it protects freedom of thought and expression. A free press is indispensable to a vigorous debate and an informed electorate. Journalists hold government officials to account -I think one of the best ethics tests ever devised is: would you be comfortable reading about this decision or action on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper - above the fold. Journalists expose corruption and crime, and shine a spotlight on human rights abuses. Perhaps for those very reasons, we are living in a time of great danger for journalists around the world - they are at greater risk than ever of being threatened, jailed or killed- the threats come from a variety of places -- organized crime, by terrorists, narco-traffickers, even sometimes by governments themselves.

This disturbing trend should set off alarm bells --- and a much louder international outcry. According to Reporters without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers, a record number -- more than 110 -- journalists and media workers were killed last year, marking 2006 as "the bloodiest year on record for journalism worldwide." In the last decade, more than 500 journalists have been killed.

One of the most prominently reported cases last year was the murder of Anna Politkovskaya the courageous Russian journalist who was shot execution-style last October. She was found dead in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building, shot four times. According to news reports, a pistol was left at her feet, the calling card of a contract killing.

Politkovskaya had been a fierce critic of the war in Chechnya and of the Russian Government. Her life had been threatened many times, yet she pressed on - slogging through snow and frozen creeks to get around border guards and slipping into one area by riding on a hay wagon with farm laborers. On the day of her murder, she had planned to file a lengthy story on torture practices believed to be being used by Chechen authorities. Her final media interview before her death was with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which has special poignancy for me. As part of my job, I represent Secretary Rice on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees those radios. Politkovskaya was a regular participant on the Russian service broadcasts of RFE/RL - one of the few electronic media outlets in Russia that would put her daring reports on the air. On the morning of her death, she told a friend she had awakened with the feeling that it would be the day she would die. Unfortunately, her reporter's instincts were right.

I mention her story first because it has become symbolic of the new brutality against journalists. Anna was recently selected by UNESCO as this year's recipient of the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. We at the Department of State have renewed our call to the Russian government to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation of her murder. Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice.

Journalists like Anna Politkovskaya are on the front lines of human freedom. Yet while her story is perhaps the best known, she is unfortunately not alone.

In every region of the world, journalists are under siege. In Latin America -- five journalists in Venezuela have been killed in five years as the press has been restricted … others have been killed in Colombia, Guatemala, and Guyana. In Mexico, a half-dozen journalists have been killed in direct reprisal for their reporting. Last November, the editor of a newspaper there was found dead in a hotel room, with his hands tied behind his back, a day after his paper ran articles about organized crime and corruption in city government.

In Southeast Asia -- nine journalists have been killed in Pakistan alone since 2002, including Daniel Pearl, and more recently Mohammad Ismail, the bureau chief for Pakistan Press International in Islamabad. He was found with his head bashed in by an iron bar.

In the Middle East -- two leading journalists in Lebanon- Samir Kassir and Gebran Tueni - were murdered in 2005. Both were strong critics of Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs and champions of Lebanon's sovereignty and freedom.May Chidiac, aLebanese television reporter who had criticized Syria's involvement in Lebanon, was wounded by a bomb planted under the driver's seat of her car. She lost her left hand and her left leg. Chidiac was in the hospital nine months and endured 26 surgeries -- but with typical spirit, she said, "I gave my country a hand to fight with and a leg to kick all the enemies with, and they are not few." She went back on the air last summer, even though she was still receiving threats.

We are gravely concerned about the threats against journalists who work for information services like RFE/RL and the Voice of America - the lone source of credible news and information for people in some parts of the world VOA correspondents have been killed in Iraq, targeted in Zimbabwe, assaulted in Serbia, arrested [detained] in Angola, forced into hiding in Rwanda, forced out of Burundi, detained in Nigeria.

Just a few weeks ago, Khamail Muhsin, a talented broadcaster with Radio Free Iraq, was kidnapped and shot in Baghdad. She was a mother of three children and a brave voice for freedom of speech.

An RFE/RL Turkmen Service stringer was jailed by the government last year and died under suspicious circumstances. An RFE/RL Uzbek service correspondent was sentenced to six months in jail for allegedly insulting a security service employee while covering the 2005 violence against civilians in Andijon. News bureaus were shut down in Tashkent and Russian service correspondents have been detained.

As we meet here today, the Iranian government is refusing to allow RFE/RL journalist Parnaz Azima to leave Iran, where she went to visit her ailing and hospitalized mother. Iranian officials seized her passport when she arrived and have thus far refused to return it, telling her lawyer it would not be returned for "two or three years." We strongly object to Iranian officials keeping Parnaz Azima in Iran against her will and call on the government to allow her to leave the country so she can return to her work and most importantly, to her children and grandchildren.

A worldwide census last year showed that 134 journalists were imprisoned, a record high. In Burma, two men were sentenced to 19 years in prison simply for publishing a collection of pro-democracy poems. On March 12, Burmese journalist U Win Tin, imprisoned for almost 18 years by the military junta and in frail health, marked his 77^th birthday behind bars.

The largest number of journalists - more than 30 -- imprisoned anywhere in the world are in China. Some 50 internet writers are also behind bars there. Despite progress on some fronts, China cannot yet be proud of its record on press freedom. It has taken a welcome step by announcing a temporary relaxation of regulations on foreign journalists to allow them to work more freely in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and when I visited China I spoke with government officials about our hope that this will become permanent to bring China closer to international standards.

The steady stream of reports that cross my desk confirm that journalists today face greater danger than ever before -- just last week, a dissident Cuban journalist was sentenced to four years in prison. In Turkmenistan, at least seven RFE/RL correspondents have had their land-line and mobile telephones blocked in recent weeks. Reporters say security officials are following them daily. And last week, an RFE/RL Belarus Service listener was arrested by the KGB for distributing materials promoting the radio programs. Belarus has become one of the world's most censored countries.

The United States is concerned that many governments are not only moving to silence individual voices, but also are suppressing independent media altogether - in Burma and North Korea, where there are no independent journalists; Syria allows almost no freedom for local press; and government severely restricts or controls the press in Tunisia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Cuba, and Equatorial Guinea. Controversial amendments to the media law in Kazakhstan tightened government control over the media, and the Emergency Law has partially restricted freedom of speech and press in Egypt

These worldwide threats to free press should be of great concern to the family of nations. They threaten, not just individual journalists, but civil society itself.

Silencing journalists - whether they write from Internet cafés, in literary journals, or newspapers - has a chilling effect. Information is suppressed and in this global world, information is vital. Stifling reports about cases of bird flu increases the risk for not only people in one country, but also people in every country. Killing reporters who investigate the drug trade has consequences beyond borders, encouraging the spread of organized crime. Assassinating reporters who unmask government misdeeds allows corruption to grow and impact an expanding circle of businesses and individuals.

What should we all do? One of the most important things we can do is to shine a spotlight on the problem - build awareness of the threats to journalists and the critical need for a free and vibrant press.

Media groups including the World Association of Newspapers, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters without Borders have been speaking out and protesting to governments with admirable resolve.

The linkage between a free press and democracy and development has been gaining more attention in international bodies such as UNESCO, the WTO, and the World Bank An even stronger focus is warranted.

The United States government is fully committed to strengthening the important role of free media. Access to information and transparency are so important to developing countries that we track media freedom as a key part of our annual Human Rights Report - reporting and denouncing violations. We are working to build a stronger foundation for international press freedom by providing assistance for production of radio and television programs that are independent of state-controlled media, and funding programs for Internet access and training.

With freedom comes responsibility, of course, and journalists have a responsibility to be fair and accurate. The US government supports many non-government organizations that provide training in standards of fairness and objectivity for journalists, editors and media managers from countries worldwide. In partnership with the Aspen Institute and a number of journalism schools, we have launched a new program the Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program, to provide advanced training for foreign journalists -nearly 200 of them just completed a three week visit to America, meeting with policymakers, receiving training in professional standards of objective reporting and learning more about our country.

And I am pleased to report that in the future we will provide spaces in our Edward R. Murrow journalism program for the survivors of slain journalists who choose to study journalism or become journalists themselves. Their work will keep the spirit of freedom of expression alive.

I'm glad that Under Secretary Paula Dobriansky could be here earlier today to talk about threats to internet freedom. Last February, Secretary Rice launched the Global Internet Freedom Task Force (GIFT), recognizing that internet freedom is a key component of press freedom. The U.S. is overall committed to supporting innovative approaches to combating internet censorship, such as developing a secure website for journalists and human rights defenders in closed countries.

One of our most important roles at the State Department is to defend the defenders of freedom. When governments move to limit press freedoms, we are speaking out forcefully. President Bush has personally asked the Chinese government to release New York Times researcher Zhao Yan. Secretary Rice met with the colleagues and son of Anna Politkovskaya to express her condolences during her visit to Moscow and did the first interview with Lebanese journalist May Chidiac when she came back to work. When the Government of Azerbaijan closed that country's leading TV and radio station, ANS, last fall, our government officials including me protested at many levels. Today, ANS is back on the air

This week, on May 3, the world will observe World Press Freedom Day, to honor the brave journalists from Belarus to Cuba to Iran who are struggling valiantly for the right to express themselves and to inform the citizens of their nations

The message must go out that the world cares about press freedom, not just on Press Freedom Day, but every day, to signal that people are watching and pressing governments for full accountability for attacks against journalists and against a free press.

Just before he was murdered in January, Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink apparently sensed he was in danger and wrote his last column about the death threats he was receiving. When he was shot dead the next week outside his newspaper office, thousands of people poured into the streets and the Turkish Prime Minister condemned the shooting as an attack on peace and the stability of the country. As he put it, "A bullet was fired at freedom of thought and democratic life."

So to all the courageous journalists -- writers, editors, producers, cameramen, - who are daily risking their lives in many countries, we want you to know that America stands with you in supporting free of thought and democratic life. We want to be your partners and supporters in keeping freedom of the press and thus freedom of thought and expression flourishing.

Thank you.