Press freedom round-up 2008 - Better figures despite a hostile climate and more Internet repression

    MONTREAL, Dec. 30 /CNW Telbec/ -

    In 2008:

    60 journalists were killed
    1 media assistant was killed
    673 journalists were arrested
    929 were physically attacked or threatened
    353 media outlets were censored
    29 journalists were kidnapped

    Internet:

    1 blogger was killed
    59 bloggers were arrested
    45 were physically attacked
    1,740 websites were blocked, shut down or suspended

    For comparison, in 2007:

    86 journalists were killed
    20 media assistants were killed
    887 journalists were arrested
    1,511 were physically attacked or threatened
    528 media outlets were censored
    67 journalists were kidnapped

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Physically       Media
                                        attacked       outlets
     2008       Killed    Arrested    or threatened    censored    Kidnapped
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Africa         3         263           117            41           9
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Asia/Pacific  26          60           106            70           0
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Americas       7         127           414            72          16
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Europe/
    Ex-USSR        8          86           168            79           0
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Maghreb/
    Mid-East      16         137           124            91           4
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total         60         673           929           353          29
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Reporters Without Borders only counted cases in which a link between the
violation and the victim's work as a journalist was clearly established or
very likely. The figures cover the violations the organisation learned about.
They do not cover violations which the victims chose not to report (usually
for security reasons). In other words, the same method was used to compile the
figures as in previous years, making comparisons possible.

    Overview

    The Asia-Pacific and Maghreb-Middle East regions are still the deadliest
for the press. After Iraq (with 15 journalists killed), the two countries with
the highest death tolls are Pakistan (7 killed) and the Philippines (6
killed). The bloodshed continues in Mexico, where four journalists were
murdered in connection with their work. The fall in the death toll in Africa
(from 12 in 2007 to 3 in 2008) is due above all to the fact that many
journalists stopped working, often going into exile, and to the gradual
disappearance of news media in war zones such as Somalia.
    The number of arrests (for periods of more than 48 hours) is particularly
high in Africa, where it is almost routine for journalists to end up in police
cells when they upset senior officials or cover subjects that are off-limits.
In Iraq (31 arrests), the US military's handling of the security situation
often results in Iraqi journalists, including those working for foreign news
media, being imprisoned. In China (38 arrests), many cases of detention were
attributable to the Olympics. In Burma (17 arrests), outspoken journalists and
bloggers were jailed in a crackdown by the military government.

    Reporters Without Borders comment:

    "The figures may be lower than last year's but this should not mask the
fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread, including
in the west, and the most authoritarian governments have been taking an even
tougher line. The quantitative improvement in certain indicators is often due
to journalists becoming disheartened and turning to a less dangerous trade or
going into exile. We cannot say that 60 deaths, hundreds of arrests and
systematic censorship offer grounds for optimism."

    Repression shifts to the Internet

    The fall in the number of journalists from the traditional media killed
or arrested in 2008 does not mean the press freedom situation has improved. As
the print and broadcast media evolve and the blogosphere becomes a worldwide
phenomenon, predatory activity is increasingly focusing on the Internet.
    In this respect, the figures speak for themselves. In 2008, someone was
for the first time killed while acting as a "citizen journalist." It was
Chinese businessman Wei Wenhua, who was beaten to death by "chengguan"
(municipal police officers) while filming a clash with demonstrators in
Tianmen (in Hubei province) on 7 January. Cases of online censorship were
recorded in 37 countries, above all China (93 websites censored), Syria (162
websites censored) and Iran (38 websites censored).
    There are democracies that do not lag far behind in terms of online
surveillance and repression. Taboos established by the monarchy in Thailand
and by the military in Turkey are so tenacious that incautious Internet users
are increasingly being monitored and punished by the police. Video-sharing
websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion are favourite targets of government
censors. It is becoming more and more common for sites to be blocked or
filtered because of content that officials have deemed "offensive."
    A visceral reaction from some governments towards participatory websites,
especially social networking sites, is beginning to give rise to cases of
"mass censorship." The censorship of sites such as Twitter (in Syria) or
Facebook (blocked in Syria and Tunisia, and filtered in Turkey and the United
Arab Emirates) leads to massive amounts of content being blocked - an effect
that is considerably compounded when combined with other standard methods of
control.
    Governments are increasingly responding with imprisonment to criticism by
bloggers. In China, 10 cyber-dissidents were arrested, 31 were physically
attacked or threatened, and at least three were tried and convicted. In Iran,
Reporters Without Borders registered 18 arrests, 31 physical attacks and 10
convictions. Online free expression is also curtailed in Syria (8 arrests and
3 convictions), Egypt (6 arrests) and Morocco (2 arrests and 2 convictions).
    Internet freedom has been crushed with particular severity in Burma,
where the military government has arrested and tried blogger and comedian
Zarganar and the young cyber-dissident Nay Phone Latt in a disgraceful manner
and sentenced them to incredibly severe jail terms (59 years for the former,
20 years for the latter). These two men join Burma's many other political
prisoners, who include 16 journalists.

    Reporters Without Borders comment:

    "The growth in the Internet's influence and potential is being
accompanied by greater vigilance on the part of some governments with already
marked security concerns. Every year, repressive governments acquire new tools
that allow them to monitor the Internet and track online data. The Internet is
gradually becoming a battleground for citizens with criticisms to express and
journalists who are censored in the traditional media. As such, it poses a
threat to those in power who are used to governing as they wish with
impunity."

    Hostile climate, better figures

    The upsurge in online repression comes at a time when traditional media,
even in the leading western democracies, are coming under renewed pressure.
Anti-terrorism and "post-9/11" laws put investigative journalists in very
delicate positions. Foreign correspondents face growing hostility if they are
from countries that are part of, or associated with, the US-led
"anti-terrorist" coalition.
    Still, even if the overall situation is bad, the figures are not as
alarming as in previous years. Repression has shifted and diversified. Some
authoritarian governments have been replaced. But even with 24 per cent fewer
arrests, there are still too many police raids on news media and reporters'
homes, including in France. And there are leading journalists and free
expression activists such as Hu Jia, the "Olympic" prisoner of a Chinese
government as intolerant as ever, who are beginning 2009 in jail.
    There are no grounds for optimism. The murders of journalists continue
although the number has fallen slightly (by 22 per cent, from 86 in 2007 to 60
in 2008) and the deaths are now concentrated in "hot zones" - Iraq, Pakistan's
Tribal Areas, Philippines and Mexico - where civilians of all kinds fall
victim to wars, political and criminal violence or terrorism. Abduction, an
effective source of income and political affirmation, is still very frequent
in Afghanistan (7 journalists and media assistants kidnapped), Somalia (5
kidnappings), Mexico (5 kidnappings) and Iraq (4 kidnappings).
    Finally, there is a slight decline in the use of censorship (with a third
fewer cases in 2008 than in 2007) but it continues to be a routine tool in
many countries that are equally distributed in all the continents - Sudan (4
media outlets censored), Guinea (5), Somalia (5), Iran (27), Egypt (10), Syria
(11), Russia (15), Belarus (18), Turkey (13), Burma (85), China (132),
Pakistan (19), Malaysia (25), Bolivia (20), Brazil (14), Mexico (10) and
Venezuela (7).

    Reporters Without Borders comment:

    "One should not conclude from a decline in the figures that the situation
has necessarily improved. The sad spectacle of a journalist in handcuffs is an
almost daily occurrence in all the continents. When governments are
challenged, their most frequent response is imprisonment. And the dozens of
murders, in which the involvement of the security forces is often almost
certain, rarely lead to trials, whether in Sri Lanka or Burkina Faso."

For further information: Katherine Borlongan, Executive Director,
Reporters Without Borders Canada, (514) 521-4111, rsfcanada@rsf.org