Global Press Freedom Has Taken An ‘Unbelievable’ Hit This Year

Media freedom has undergone a “deep and disturbing” decline in several parts of the world and at the global level this year, according to a new release from Reporters Without Borders.

Thus far in 2016, 57 journalists have been killed in connection with their work, 187 remain imprisoned and 44 are currently being held hostage, according to the organization’s latest December tallies. These figures represent professional journalists only. When including media netizens and citizen reporters, the numbers of those slain, detained and held for ransom climb to at least 74, 348 and 52, respectively.

The freedom of information advocacy group, also known as Reporters Sans Frontières, ranks 180 countries’ levels of press freedom to produce an overall world evaluation. Between 2013 and the start of this year, the global score plummeted by 13.6 percent. Factors evaluated by the group ― all of which worsened during this period ― include media independence, transparency and censorship, among others. The final grade for 2016 has yet to be calculated and released, but the overall picture is grim.

“What is very disturbing and concerning is that we have seen all continents are affected by this drop in press freedom,” Delphine Halgand, RSF’s U.S. director, told The WorldPost. “Since the start of 2016, the decline has been unbelievable.”

The Americas’ score tumbled by 20.5 percent in the three years leading up to 2016, which RSF attributes to a jump in targeted violence against journalists in Mexico and Central America.

The score for Europe and the Balkans, meanwhile, decreased by 6.5 percent as a result of the expanding impact of ultraconservative governments and extremist movements.

In Central Asia and eastern Europe, press freedom declined by 5 percent due to deteriorating free speech conditions in nations under authoritarian leadership.

Several countries already notorious for their lack of press freedom, like Egypt, China and North Korea, saw their scores drop even lower in RSF’s annual Press Freedom Index. Other countries, including typically higher-ranking ones like Poland, took shocking nosedives this year as governments tightened control of state-owned media outlets.

Americans are often surprised to see that the United States ranks 41st on the index, Halgand said.

RSF decried the U.S. government’s “war on whistleblowers” in the name of protecting national security, and cited American journalists’ lack of rights to withhold their sources and other confidential information.

A large group of press freedom organizations recently penned an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, whom the Committee to Protect Journalists has already declared a “threat to press freedom.” The incoming leader of the free world has continuously berated and vilified the “disgusting” media, and denied press credentials to news organizations that covered his campaign in ways that displeased him.

Press Council to award press freedom medals

The Australian Press Council will award two people the Press Freedom Medal as part of its 40th Anniversary Conference in May.

The announcement:

The Australian Press Council will honour two courageous individuals by awarding them the Press Freedom Medal as part of the proceedings of its 40th Anniversary Conference in May 2016.

The award is to be given annually to dedicated men and women who through their work as journalists, legal practitioners, community activists or advocates of press freedom ensure that critically important issues are brought to public attention.

The names of the recipients of the 2016 Press Freedom Medal will be made public officially at an award ceremony at 10:15 a.m. on 5 May, which is the second day of the Press Council’s international conference.

“The inaugural award winners are absolutely outstanding journalists who overcame threats and major obstacles to ensure that critical stories saw the light of day,” said the Press Council’s Chair, Professor David Weisbrot. “In future years, the Press Freedom Medal could just as easily be awarded to a judge who makes a crucial ruling that bolsters press freedom, or a community group, or individual activists who in their own way have contributed substantially to press freedom.”

“The theme of our conference is ‘Press Freedom in a Challenging Environment’, so it is entirely appropriate that this year we honour two people who have made such an important contribution through their reporting work.”

The two award winners for 2016 were selected by a special committee of Press Council members, taking into account the professional achievements over a number of years of a selection of journalists and other individuals. Particular articles or a series of articles that cast light on incidents or situations of major importance to the Australian community were also taken into consideration.

In the past, a Press Council Medal was awarded occasionally to a Council member for outstanding service to the organisation. At its quarterly meeting in February 2016, the Council decided to reinstate the practice of awarding medals, but instead for outstanding service to journalism and press freedom.

The names of this year’s Press Freedom Medal recipients, along with biographical material and photos, will be released to media under embargo 24 hours prior to the 5 May ceremony.
To help celebrate the organisation’s 40th Anniversary and its proud history of promoting press freedom and high standards of media practice, the Council is hosting a major international conference in Sydney.

Key themes of the conference will include:
– the influences of technological, social and commercial change on journalism quality;
– the need for reform of secrecy, censorship and defamation laws, and the risks of over-regulation by governments;
– the role of independent press councils in enhancing press freedom by setting high standards and maintaining public confidence.

For information about the conference or to book tickets, click here. For more information about the Press Freedom Medal or the activities of the Press Council, contact the Director of Research and Communications by email at michael.rose@presscouncil.org.au or by telephone: 0451 978 276.

Regulation laws 'substantial threat to British press freedom'

Laws aimed at regulating the newspaper industry will pose "the most substantial threat to British press freedom in the modern era", campaigners have warned.

A report by freedom of speech experts claims recommendations made following the Leveson inquiry into practices and ethics within the industry will have a serious and long-term impact on the media and democracy.

The document, Leveson's Illiberal Legacy, says a state-backed regulator underpinned by a Royal Charter would pose "imminent danger" to local newspapers, and would have made it "impossible" for the MPs' expenses scandal to have surfaced.

It calls on the Government to repeal sections of the Crime and Courts Act and to annul the Royal Charter.

The report, backed by the Free Speech Network and advised by some of the key freedom of expression campaigners behind the Libel Reform Campaign, claims it is a "myth that Leveson protects human rights".

Professor Tim Luckhurst, who wrote the report's foreword, said: "The impact of state-sanctioned regulation on our precious local newspapers would be uniquely harsh and spectacularly unjust.

"They serve their communities brilliantly. Surely they deserve our protection: their demise would impoverish local communities and cripple local democracy."

Report author Helen Anthony said: "From November, newspapers not signed up to a state recognised regulator could be hit with exemplary damages in libel and privacy proceedings.

"Shortly afterwards, punitive costs awards could be made against newspapers sued for similar proceedings, even if they have broken no laws. This is deeply unfair and prevents free speech. This is bad law, and it was made in a rushed, undemocratic manner."

Responding to the report, Dr Evan Harris of the Hacked Off campaign group in favour of media regulation, said: "Its desperate rhetoric - comparing the Leveson system to that of repressive regimes - and claiming that an independent self-regulator amounts to the end of press freedom - betrays a recognition by the press executives behind the report that the public will never accept the rejection of the Leveson Inquiry, and calls instead for politicians 'to come to heel' and reject the Leveson Report, repeal the incentives and annul the Royal Charter.

"The document fails to provide any proper evidence that acceptance of the Leveson system by the press would have any impact on public interest journalism (like the MPs expenses story), and avoids mentioning that all these publishers have already signed up to a system in Ireland which has similar ingredients to Leveson but which lacks the political independence that Leveson and Royal Charter enshrine."

RFE/RLive: The Case, The Verdict, and Media Freedom in Azerbaijan

On September 1, an Azerbaijani court sentencedinvestigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova to 7 1/2 years in prison, on charges widely believed to be retribution by Azeri authorities for her reporting on corruption involving the country’s ruling family.

This edition of RFE/RLive will examine the proceedings that led to the verdict and what could happen now. What is being done to support journalists who fall victim to crackdowns by authoritarian governments, and what more can be done to support media freedom and freedom of expression in repressive environments like Azerbaijan?

Karin Deutsch Karlekar directs PEN America’s Free Expression Programs, focusing on global press freedom, digital rights, and broad freedom of expression issues. In May 2015, PEN awarded Khadija Ismayilova with the 2015 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, for a writer imprisoned for his or her work. Prior to joining PEN, she served from 2001-15 as director of Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press project, coordinating the production of a flagship annual report that tracks trends in global media freedom and rates every country in the world. As well as acting as an expert spokesperson on press freedom issues, Karlekar has developed index methodologies and conducted training sessions on press freedom, internet freedom, freedom of expression, and monitoring dangerous speech; authored a number of special reports and academic papers; and conducted research, assessment, and advocacy missions to Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Rachel Denber is Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, where she specializes in countries of the former Soviet Union. On August 10, Human Rights Watch announced that it had awarded Ismayilova the 2015 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism. Previously, Denber directed Human Rights Watch's Moscow office and did field research and advocacy in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. She has authored reports on a wide range of human rights issues throughout the region. Denber earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in international relations and a master's degree in political science from Columbia University, where she studied at the Harriman Institute. She speaks Russian and French.

Kenan Aliyev is the Executive Editor of "Current Time," the joint RFE/RL-VOA Russian-language television news program serving Russian-speakers in the countries bordering Russia. Until early 2015, Aliyev was also Director of RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service. Prior to joining RFE/RL in 2004, Aliyev worked in Washington, DC as a broadcaster for Voice of America and was also a regular contributor to the BBC World Service. Aliyev served as a Baku-based reporter for RFE/RL’s Russian Service and for the local, independent "Azadliq" newspaper before immigrating to the US in 1997.

John M. Donnelly joined Congressional Quarterly in 2004 and is now a senior writer, covering defense and foreign policy issues. He worked previously at Defense Week, where he won many awards for investigative journalism. He has written for numerous other publications, from the Los Angeles Times to the Economist magazine, and has been featured on broadcast news programs, including ABC World News Tonight and NBC’s Meet the Press. Donnelly has been active in the leadership of the National Press Club since 2001 and chairs its Press Freedom Committee. In June 2015, the National Press Club awarded Khadija Ismayilova its John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. He also served on the Standing Committee of Correspondents of the U.S. Congress, which accredits reporters. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Arzu Geybulla is an Azeri blogger and journalist who runs a live blog on the case of jailed investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, and has written extensively about Azerbaijan for local and international media. A former Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellow with RFE/RL, Geybulla is co-director and managing editor of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, a Washington D.C.-based NGO. She has been featured in Al Jazeera English, The Economist, Global Voices, and Huffington Post Live.

Daisy Sindelar (moderator) is RFE/RL's Regional Broadcasting Director for Europe. A former senior correspondent for RFE/RL, Sindelar specializes in examining ordinary people and the challenges they encounter living in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and is particularly interested in the problems facing women, children, and minorities. Based in Prague, she has also reported from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A Deadly Assignment

The killing of Irshad Mastoi, a trade unionist and a professional journalist, along with a trainee reporter Abdur Rasool and his office accountant Mohammad Younus on August 28 has further shaken the media in Balochistan.

According to eye witnesses, a person armed with 9mm pistol stormed into the office of the bureau chief of Online News and opened fire at Mastoi at point-blank range and then shot others, probably to destroy the evidence.

Both Mastoi and his accountant were killed on the spot while the trainee reporter succumbed to his injuries on his way to hospital after 45 minutes.

“Call data recovered from the reporter’s mobile shows he called someone at 8:10 or 8:20, roughly 40 minutes after the crime was committed,” says a police official on condition of anonymity.

Mastoi’s close friends, colleagues and family knew that he had been receiving threats from sectarian organisations, banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Baloch militant groups and security agencies over his reportage.

“He had been receiving life threats from unknown callers, who used abusive language and warned him of dire consequences,” one of his friends told The News on Sunday. “Irshad [Mastoi] told me a couple of days before his murder that someone is threatening him on phone for the last few days but did not mention the details,” he says.

Twenty four journalists, three of their family members and a media worker have been killed during the last six years. Baloch militant organisations have claimed the responsibility for the killings of six media men, dubbing them as agents of spy agencies. No one, so far, has claimed the rest of the murders, including that of Irshad Mastoi and his colleagues.

 

 It is the third time that the local journalists in the wake of threats by a tribal notable stopped reporting for their TV channels/newspapers after closing down their press club.

Some of his colleagues think that Irshad Mastoi’s recent article on the eve of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti’s 8th death anniversary became the cause of his murder. He wrote about the life and politics of Baloch leaders and policies of the military establishment in Balochistan besides the military action in which Nawab Bugti was killed. However, some of his close friends suspect the involvement of a politico-sectarian party in his killing for not running the party’s press releases/statements on Online.

Irshad Mastoi, 35, a literary person, father of three children all under four years of age, was the general secretary of Balochistan Union of Journalists, and raised voice for the plight of media people, particularly those murdered or killed in bomb blasts. He maintained the list of targeted journalists and would often jokingly say that he may one day be mentioned among them – today, he ranks 23rd on that list.

Mastoi had a hair-breadth escape five years back in an accident in Gwadar.
He was in a hotel room in Gwadar in December 2009 to cover the signing ceremony of the 7th NFC award. He received severe electric shock when his hand came close to a live high tension wire running close to the window while throwing cigarette outside the window.

He survived but his right hand was amputated in a Karachi hospital. He remained depressed for a couple of months, but with great effort he started writing and typing with left hand. He wished to get a bionic arm that costs over Rs3 million and made huge effort to get aid from any international or national organisation but could not succeed. “It is my great desire that I get a bionic arm so that my useless (amputated) hand can become useful,” he often said to his friends.

The journalist community, which is in protest against the murder of their fellow journalist, does not have any expectation from the police that has failed to nab the killers of their own 22 police officers who fell prey to sectarian violence in the province. FIRs of murders of media people are hardly ever registered and not a single culprit has been arrested.

The compensation for the bereaved families in most cases is pending for years.

There is no freedom of press in Balochistan. The banned organisations whether Baloch or Islamic/sectarian militants, politico-sectarian groups and intelligence agencies want to take over the media. These organisations get space on front page in the local newspapers for their routine press statements and air time in TV channels.

Similarly, the restive districts including Kohlu, Kechh, Khuzdar and Dera Bugti are in control of security forces which also do not allow objective reporting to journalists. Khuzdar Press Club was closed down two months back and it is the third time that the local journalists in the wake of threats by a tribal notable stopped reporting for their TV channels/newspapers after closing down their press club.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Cuba

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

10. Cuba

Leadership: Raúl Castro, who took over the presidency from his brother, Fidel, in 2008.

How censorship works:Despite significant improvements in the past few years-such as the elimination of exit visas that had prohibited most foreign travel for decades-Cuba continues to have the most restricted climate for press freedom in the Americas. The print and broadcast media are wholly controlled by the one-party Communist state, which has been in power for more than half a century and, by law, must be "in accordance with the goals of the socialist society." Although the Internet has opened up some space for critical reporting, service providers are ordered to block objectionable content. Independent journalists and bloggers who work online use websites that are hosted overseas and must go to foreign embassies or hotels to upload content and get an unfiltered connection to the Internet. These critical blogs and online news platforms are largely inaccessible to the average Cuban, who still has not benefited from a high-speed Internet connection financed by Venezuela. Most Cubans do not have Internet at home. The government continues to target critical journalists through harassment, surveillance, and short-term detentions. Juliet Michelena Díaz, a contributor to a network of local citizen journalists, was imprisoned for seven months on anti-state charges after photographing an incident between residents and police in Havana. She was later declared innocent and freed. Visas for international journalists are granted selectively by officials.

Lowlight: Though the government has for the most part done away with long-term detentions of journalists, author-turned-critical blogger Ángel Santiesteban Prats has been imprisoned since February 2013 on allegations of domestic violence. The writer and other local independent journalists maintain that he was targeted in retaliation for writing critically about the government on his blog, Los Hijos que Nadie Quiso (The Children Nobody Wanted.)

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Myanmar

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

9. Myanmar

Leadership: President Thein Sein, a former general, has led a quasi-civilian administration since 2011.

How censorship works: Despite an end to more than four decades of pre-publication censorship in 2012, Myanmar's media remains tightly controlled. The Printers and Publishers Registration Law, enacted in March 2014, bans news that could be considered insulting to religion, disturbing to the rule of law, or harmful to ethnic unity. Publications must be registered under the law, and those found in violation of its vague provisions risk de-registration. National security-related laws, including the colonial-era 1923 Official Secrets Act, are used to threaten and imprison journalists who report on sensitive military matters. For example, five journalists with the independent weekly newspaper Unity were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor, reduced on appeal to seven years, for reporting on a secretive military facility allegedly involved in chemical weapons production. Journalists are regularly barred from reporting from the military side of conflict with ethnic groups. Aung Kyaw Naing, a local freelance reporter who had embedded with rebel forces, was shot dead while in military custody in October 2014 after being apprehended by government troops in a restive area near the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Lowlight: Three journalists and two publishers of the independent newspaper Bi Mon Te Nay were sentenced to two years in prison on charges of defaming the state. Their offense: publishing a false statement made by a political activist group that claimed that pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic group leaders had formed an interim government to replace Thein Sein's administration.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: China

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

8. China


Leadership: President Xi Jinping, in office since March 2013.

How censorship works: For more than a decade, China has been among the top three jailers of journalists in the world, a distinction that it is unlikely to lose any time soon. Document 9, a secret white paper dated April 22, 2014, which was widely leaked online and to the international press, included the directive to "combat seven political perils" and reject the concept of "universal values" and the promotion of "the West's view of media." Document 9 made it clear that the role of the media is to support the party's unilateral rule. The paper reasserted the necessity for China's technological and human censors to be ever more vigilant when keeping watch over the country's 642 million Internet users-about 22 percent of the world's online population. In late November 2014, Xu Xiao, a poetry and arts editor for the Beijing-based business magazine Caixin, was detained on suspicion of "endangering national security." The Central Propaganda Department warned editors not to report on the investigation into Xu, raising fears that the tactics used to stifle political dissent would broaden to publications looking critically at the arts. International journalists trying to work in China have faced obstacles, with visas delayed or denied. Although some visa restrictions between the U.S. and China have eased, during a press conference in Beijing with U.S. President Barack Obama in November 2014 Xi argued that international journalists facing visa restrictions had brought the trouble on themselves.

Lowlight: Gao Yu, one of 44 journalists behind bars in China, was detained on charges of illegally providing state secrets abroad, days after details of Document 9 appeared in Mirror Monthly, a Chinese-language political magazine in New York. Gao, 70, confessed on official state broadcaster CCTV, but during her closed trial, on November 21, 2014, she said that the confession was false and made only to prevent her son from being threatened and harassed, her lawyer said.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Iran

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

7. Iran

Leadership: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been supreme leader since 1989. Hassan Rouhani has been president since August 2013.

How censorship works: The government uses mass and arbitrary detention as a means of silencing dissent and forcing journalists into exile. Iran became the world's leading jailer of journalists in 2009 and has ranked among the world's worst jailers of the press every year since. Iranian authorities maintain one of the toughest Internet censorship regimes in the world, blocking millions of websites, including news and social networking sites. They are suspected of using sophisticated techniques, such as setting up fake versions of popular websites and search engines, and the regime frequently jams satellite signals. The situation for the press has not improved under Rouhani despite the hopes of U.N. member states and human rights groups. Rouhani also failed to uphold his campaign promise to reinstate the 4,000-member Association of Iranian Journalists, which was forced to close in 2009.

Lowlight: Iranian authorities control coverage of certain topics by tightening the small circle of journalists and news outlets allowed to report on them. In February, Iran's Supreme National Security Council filed a lawsuit against conservative journalist Hossein Ghadyani and the newspaper he works for, Vatan-e Emrooz. The newspaper, which supports former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had published four articles that criticized Iran's international nuclear negotiations and alleged corruption in the government's dealing with an oil company.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Vietnam

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

6. Vietnam

Leadership: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has been in power since 2006.

How censorship works: Vietnam's Communist Party-run government allows no privately held print or broadcast outlets. Under the 1999 Media Law (Article 1, Chapter 1), all media working in Vietnam must serve as "the mouthpiece of Party organizations." The Central Propaganda Department holds mandatory weekly meetings with local newspaper, radio, and TV editors to hand down directives on which topics should be emphasized or censored in their news coverage. Forbidden topics include the activities of political dissidents and activists; factional divisions inside the Communist Party; human rights issues; and any mention of ethnic differences between the country's once-divided northern and southern regions. Independent bloggers who report on sensitive issues have faced persecution through street-level attacks, arbitrary arrests, surveillance, and harsh prison sentences for anti-state charges. Vietnam is one of the world's worst jailers of journalists, with at least 16 behind bars. Authorities widely block access to websites critical of the government, including such popular foreign-hosted blogs as Danlambao, which covers politics, human rights issues, and disputes with China. In September 2013, a new law extended state censorship to social media platforms, making it illegal to post any material, including foreign news articles, deemed to "oppose the state" or "harm national security."

Lowlight: Authorities have increasingly used Article 258, the anti-state law that vaguely criminalizes "abusing democratic freedoms," to threaten and prosecute independent bloggers. At least three bloggers have been convicted under the law, which allows for seven-year prison sentences.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Azerbaijan

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

5. Azerbaijan


Leadership: President Ilham Aliyev has been in power since October 2003, after being named successor by his father.

How censorship works: The main sources of information in Azerbaijan are broadcasters, which are owned and controlled by the state or its proxies. International broadcasters are barred or their satellite signals are jammed. Critical print outlets have been subjected to harassment from officials, including debilitating lawsuits, evictions, a ban on foreign funding, and advisories to businesses against advertising. Online speech is subject to self-censorship because of a criminal defamation law that carries a six-month prison sentence. News and social media websites are blocked arbitrarily. At least 10 journalists and bloggers, including the award-winning reporter Khadija Ismayilova, are in Azerbaijani jails. Several critical journalists fled the country in 2014, and those remaining faced attacks and harassment, were banned from traveling, or were prosecuted on fabricated charges.

Lowlight: Emin Huseynov, director of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), was forced into hiding in August after authorities raided his office, confiscated all of IRFS' documents, and sealed the premises. Several other international non-governmental organizations that supported the local media were also forced to cease work in Azerbaijan after authorities accused them of tax evasion, raided their offices, and froze bank accounts. Staff at these organizations and their families faced harassment from officials.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Ethiopia

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

4. Ethiopia

Leadership: Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, in power since September 2012.

How censorship works: As Ethiopia prepared for its May 2015 elections, the state systematically cracked down on the country's remaining independent publications through the arrests of journalists and intimidation of printing and distribution companies. Filing lawsuits against editors and forcing publishers to cease production have left only a handful of independent publications in a country of more than 90 million people. Ten independent journalists and bloggers were imprisoned in 2014; authorities filed a lawsuit in August accusing six publications of "encouraging terrorism," forcing at least 16 journalists to flee into exile. There are no independent broadcasters, though broadcasts from the U.S.-based opposition Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) intermittently air within the country. The state-controlled telecommunications company Ethio Telecom is the sole Internet provider and routinely suspends critical news websites. International journalists work in Ethiopia, but many are under surveillance and face harassment. Although journalists have not had difficulties acquiring accreditation in the past, newer arrivals say that they face challenges.

Lowlight: Authorities in 2014 unleashed the largest onslaught against the press since a crackdown in 2005 after disputed parliamentary elections. Ten independent journalists and bloggers were arrested on anti-state charges, and at least eight independent publications were shut down.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Saudi Arabia

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

3. Saudi Arabia

Leadership: King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who took power in January 2015 after the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah.

How censorship works: The Saudi government has progressively intensified legal repression since the Arab Spring. Amendments to the press law in 2011 punished the publication of any materials deemed to contravene sharia, impinge on state interests, promote foreign interests, harm public order or national security, or enable criminal activity. In 2014, the government issued a new anti-terrorism law and regulations that Human Rights Watch said will "criminalize virtually any expression or association critical of the government and its understanding of Islam." The law granted the Specialized Criminal Court, established in 2008, the ability to hear unchallenged testimony while the defendant or the defendant's lawyer is absent. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media announced in April 2014 that it will monitor online and YouTube content to ensure that Saudi contributors, among the largest audience for the online video-sharing site, adhere to government guidelines. YouTube is used by many Saudis to address controversial issues, such as women driving, and to document events not covered in the media, such as the stabbing of a Canadian in a Dhahran city mall in November 2014. Saudi Arabia also used its regional influence in the Gulf Cooperation Council to pass restrictions that prevent media in member states from criticizing the leadership of other member states.

Lowlight: A string of arrests and prosecutions of those expressing independent views took place in 2014. Many of those arrested were accused of press-related charges after covering protests. In October the government used a 2007 anti-cybercrime law to charge at least seven Saudis in connection with their use of Twitter to allegedly criticize the authorities and to call for women to be allowed to drive.

The 10 Most Censored Countries: North Korea

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

2.North Korea

Leadership: Kim Jong Un, who took over after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in December 2011.

How censorship works: Article 53 of the country's constitution calls for freedom of the press, but even with an Associated Press bureau-staffed by North Koreans and located in the Pyongyang headquarters of the state-run Korean Central News Agency-and a small foreign press corps from politically sympathetic countries, access to independent news sources is extremely limited. Nearly all the content of North Korea's 12 main newspapers, 20 periodicals, and broadcasters comes from the official Korean Central News Agency, which focuses on the political leadership's statements and activities. Internet is restricted to the political elite, but some schools and state institutions have access to a tightly controlled intranet called Kwangmyong, according to the AP. North Koreans looking for independent information have turned to bootlegged foreign TV and radio signals and smuggled foreign DVDs, particularly along the porous border with China. Although cell phones are banned, some citizens have been able in recent years to access news through smuggled phones, which rely on Chinese cell towers. South Korean newspapers have reported that

North Korea in 2013 started manufacturing smartphones that run on a network built by the Egyptian company Orascom and the state-owned Korea Post and Telecommunications Corp. Traders in street markets are regularly seen with 3G phones that can support video exchange and texting, according to travelers returning from North Korea.

Lowlight: After Kim Jong Un ordered his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executed (around the time of the second anniversary of his father's death), any mention of Jang was removed from state media archives, including official video from which Jang was carefully edited. Jang was vilified in the media as the "despicable human scum, who was worse than a dog."

The 10 Most Censored Countries: Eritrea

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

1. Eritrea

Leadership: President Isaias Afewerki, in power since 1993.

How censorship works: Only state media is allowed to disseminate news; the last accredited international correspondent was expelled in 2007. Even those working for the heavily censored state press live in constant fear of arrest for any report perceived as critical to the ruling party, or on suspicion that they leaked information outside the country. The last privately owned media outlets were suspended and their journalists jailed in 2001. Many remain behind bars; Eritrea has the most jailed journalists in Africa. None of those arrested are taken to court, and the fear of arrest has forced dozens of journalists into exile. Those in exile try to provide access to independent online news websites and radio broadcasts, but the opportunity to do so is limited because of signal jamming and tight online control by the sole state-run telecommunications company, EriTel. All mobile communications must go through EriTel, and all Internet service providers must use the government-controlled gateway. Access to the Internet is extremely limited and available only through slow dial-up connections. Less than 1 percent of the population goes online, according to U.N. International Telecommunication Union figures.

Lowlight: Five independent journalists who were arrested in 2001 may have died in prison, according to recent exiles. With limited access to information in Eritrea, CPJ cannot independently confirm the deaths and continues to list the journalists on its prison census as a means of holding the government accountable for their fate.

The 10 Most Censored Countries

The 2015 list of 10 Most Censored Countries is part of CPJ's annual publication, Attacks on the Press.

Repressive nations threaten jail terms, restrict Internet to silence press

Eritrea and North Korea are the first and second most censored countries worldwide, according to a list compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists of the 10 countries where the press is most restricted. The list is based on research into the use of tactics ranging from imprisonment and repressive laws to harassment of journalists and restrictions on Internet access.

In Eritrea, President Isaias Afewerki has succeeded in his campaign to crush independent journalism, creating a media climate so oppressive that even reporters for state-run news outlets live in constant fear of arrest. The threat of imprisonment has led many journalists to choose exile rather than risk arrest. Eritrea is Africa's worst jailer of journalists, with at least 23 behind bars-none of whom has been tried in court or even charged with a crime.

Fearing the spread of Arab Spring uprisings, Eritrea scrapped plans in 2011 to provide mobile Internet for its citizens, limiting the possibility of access to independent information. Although Internet is available, it is through slow dial-up connections, and fewer than 1 percent of the population goes online, according to U.N. International Telecommunication Union figures. Eritrea also has the lowest figure globally of cell phone users, with just 5.6 percent of the population owning one.

In North Korea, 9.7 percent of the population has cell phones, a number that excludes access to phones smuggled in from China. In place of the global Internet, to which only a select few powerful individuals have access, some schools and other institutions have access to a tightly controlled intranet. And despite the arrival of an Associated Press bureau in Pyongyang in 2012, the state has such a tight grip on the news agenda that newsreel was re-edited to remove Kim Jong Un's disgraced uncle from the archives after his execution.

The tactics used by Eritrea and North Korea are mirrored to varying degrees in other heavily censored countries. To keep their grip on power, repressive regimes use a combination of media monopoly, harassment, spying, threats of journalist imprisonment, and restriction of journalists' entry into or movements within their countries.

Imprisonment is the most effective form of intimidation and harassment used against journalists.

Seven of the 10 most censored countries-Eritrea, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Iran, China, and Myanmar-are also among the top 10 worst jailers of journalists worldwide, according to CPJ's annual prison census.

More than half of the journalists imprisoned globally are charged with anti-state crimes, including in China, the world's worst jailer and the eighth most censored country. Of the 44 journalists imprisoned-the largest figure for China since CPJ began its annual census in 1990-29 were held on anti-state charges. Other countries that use the charge to crush critical voices include Saudi Arabia (third most censored), where the ruling monarchy, not satisfied with silencing domestic dissent, teamed up with other governments in the Gulf Cooperation Council to ensure that criticism of leadership in any member state is dealt with severely.

In Ethiopia--number four on CPJ's most censored list--the threat of imprisonment has contributed to a steep increase in the number of journalist exiles. Amid a broad crackdown on bloggers and independent publications in 2014, more than 30 journalists were forced to flee, CPJ research shows. Ethiopia's 2009 anti-terrorism law, which criminalizes any reporting that authorities deem to "encourage" or "provide moral support" to banned groups, has been levied against many of the 17 journalists in jail there. Vietnam (sixth most censored) uses a vague law against "abusing democratic freedom" to jail bloggers, and Myanmar (ninth most censored) relies on its 1923 Official Secrets Act to prevent critical reporting on its military.

Internet access is highly restricted in countries under Communist Party rule-North Korea, Vietnam, China, and Cuba.

In Cuba (10th most censored), the Internet is available to only a small portion of the population, despite outside investment to bring the country online. China, despite having hundreds of millions of Internet users, maintains the "Great Firewall," a sophisticated blend of human censors and technological tools, to block critical websites and rein in social media.

In countries with advanced technology such as China, Internet restrictions are combined with the threat of imprisonment to ensure that critical voices cannot gain leverage online. Thirty-two of China's 44 jailed journalists worked online.

In Azerbaijan (fifth most censored), where there is little independent traditional media, criminal defamation laws have been extended to social media and carry a six-month prison sentence. Iran, the seventh most censored country, has one of the toughest Internet censorship regimes worldwide, with millions of websites blocked; it is also the second worst jailer of journalists, with 30 behind bars. Authorities there are suspected of setting up fake versions of popular sites and search engines as part of surveillance techniques.

Government harassment is a tactic used in at least five of the most censored countries, including Azerbaijan, where offices have been raided, advertisers threatened, and retaliatory charges such as drug possession levied against journalists. In Vietnam, many bloggers are put under surveillance in an attempt to prevent them from attending and reporting on news events. In Iran, journalists' relatives have been summoned by authorities and told that they could lose their jobs and pensions because of the journalists' work. And in Cuba, which has made some progress, including resuming diplomatic relations with the U.S. and proposing an end to Castro rule by 2018, the few independent journalists trying to report in the country are still subject to harassment and short-term detention.

Restricting journalists' movements and barring foreign correspondents is also a common tactic used by censoring governments. In Eritrea, the last remaining accredited international reporter was expelled in 2007, and the few outside reporters invited in occasionally to interview the president are closely monitored; in China, foreign correspondents have been subjected to arbitrary delays in visa applications.

Four heavily censored nations that nearly made the list are Belarus, Equatorial Guinea, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, all of which have little to no independent media and are so tightly closed that it can be difficult even to get information about conditions for journalists.

The list of most censored countries addresses only those where government tightly controls the media. In some countries, notably Syria, conditions are extremely dangerous and journalists have been abducted, held captive, and killed, some by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad but also by militant groups such as the Islamic State.

Hostile Environment Training Offered For Pakistan Journalists

To equip journalists with the skills required to cope with the dangers involved in reporting from hostile and sensitive areas, Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP)  has re-launched its training programme for media persons of South Punjab.

In collaboration with UNESCO, these trainings sessions are  focusing  upon print and radio journalists and will enable them to report on conflict constructively and in a manner which does not jeopardize their own well-being.

Through a variety of sessions, the journalists will be sensitised about local social issues and how those local voices need to be incorporated in the media. The second phase of three training sessions will be held in RahimyarKhan and Bahawalpur districts, while the first training workshop will start 21st February in Liaquatpur, district RahimyarKhan.

Earlier three training session were held at  Khanpur, Jatoi and Yaman sub-divisonal head quarters.

Highlighting the background of the training, President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Khan Sehar said that reporting on conflict requires courage and dedication.

“We are making sure that those who choose such a daring job also have the assurance of their safety,” he said.

He said that these training sessions will endow the journalists working in religious- and feuda- dominated areas with necessary survival mechanisms to continue their work unhindered.

“This initiative will certainly improve the overall condition of media personnel in these areas and will assist them in adopting a set of precautionary measures that are necessary to survive in hostile environments,” he added.

Since January 2011, RMNP has organized nineteen training sessions in different districts of South Punjab, which were attended by more than 400 journalists. Sehar said that Pakistan has a long history of conflicts and presently hostile environments exist in some areas of South Punjab .

“Apart from the nature of the conflict, reporting of the ground realities becomes a daunting task, particularly when the parties of the conflict are altogether acting against the democratic forces including the media personnel/journalists working in these areas.”  said the RMNP President.

He further explained that a team of trainers and resource persons headed by former Research Coordinator, Tokyo University Japan’s Khalid Seed, will conduct a two day long training session in Liaquatpur. Participants will receive training manuals in the beginning of training workshop and a certificate giving ceremony will be held on 22nd February at 5 PM.

Free Speech Under Fire: Muhammad Cartoon Contest Winner Retreats Into Hiding

Nathan Koppel reports: As authorities continue to investigate an attempted attack on a contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad in Texas on Sunday, the winner of the event has retreated into hiding, saying he faces persistent death threats.

Bosch Fawstin netted $12,500 for winning the contest’s grand prize as well as the “People’s Choice Award” for his drawing depicting Muhammad wielding a sword and saying, “you can’t draw me!”

In an interview on Tuesday, the cartoonist was vague about his whereabouts, saying only that he lives somewhere in the U.S.

[read the full text here, at WSJ]

“I don’t want to say where,” Mr. Fawstin said, also declining to say his age. “There are Muslims out there who want to kill me.”

He has drawn a comic book called “Pigman,” featuring a hero who battles “pigotry” and his arch nemesis, SuperJihad. He said he has also drawn several dozen cartoon renderings of the Islamic prophet.

“I do it because we have been told we can’t,” he said. “I’m not just provoking people for the hell of it.…Provocation is freedom of speech—it’s not separate from it.”

The Muhammad art competition in Garland, Texas, was hosted by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. Some 200 people attended the event according to a participant… (read more)

WSJ

Write to Nathan Koppel at nathan.koppel@wsj.com

Son accepts award on behalf of slain journalist Malik Mumtaz Khan

Written by Rural Media Network Pakistan

Slain tribal journalist Malik Mumtaz Khan’s son Malik Suleman Khan received the RMNP Sadiq Press Freedom Award 2014 and prize money of Rs 60,000 in an event organized by the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) at Punjab College AhmedpurEast on Sunday evening.

The ceremony was co-chaired by President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Sehar and intellectual Hassan Askar Sheikh, with Ex-PPP MNA Arif Aziz Sheikh as the chief guest.

The former President of the Press Club Miranshah, North Waziristan, Malik Mumtaz Khan was shot dead by unidentified armed persons on February 27, 2013 while he was on his way to home.

Speakers at the awards ceremony – President BUJ Majeed Gill, Ex­PPP MNA Arif Aziz Sheikh, Deputy Director Information Bahawalpr Nasir Hameed, PPP leader Mohd Ali Ahsan, PML(N) leaders Mian Mohd Younas, Mehar Abdul Rehman, PML(QA) leader Salahuddin Jeelani, Ex­Chairman Municipal Committee Mian Ilyas Ayaz, and journalists Zafar Iqbal Minhas, Iftikhar Alvi and Ahmed Khan Babar – each paid rich tribute to Malik Mumtaz Khan, and offered their condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. They demanded the government to arrest the killers without further delay and give compensation to Malik Mumtaz Khan’s heirs.

Majeed Gill, President of the Bahawalpur Union of Journalists, presented the RMNP shield to Malik Suleman Khan, acknowledging his slain father Malik Mumtaz Khan’s courage and dedication with the profession. Hassan Askari Sheikh presented PKR 60 000 sponsored by World Association of Newspapers & News publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Malik Suleman Khan thanked RMNP for selecting his slain father for the WAN-IFRA sponsored award. He complained that despite the PKR 1Million announcement made by former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari as compensation for the killing, not a single penny has been paid.

Similarly he reported that his father’s employer Jang-Geo group neither accommodated the family nor offered him a job, despite his having the required qualification. He hoped that the RMNP would expand its activities in near future to encourage victimized media persons in both rural and urban areas.



The President of RMNP, Ehsan Ahmed Khan Sehar, said that Pakistan is ranked 158 out of 180 countries in this year’s World Press Freedom Index and has one of the highest murder rates for journalists. He stated that there was almost no space for freedom of expression in the country, which provides a free playing field for law enforcement authorities and extremist religious and militant groups to act as they please.

President RMNP said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced the appointment of a Commission for the protection of journalists in a meeting with a CPJ delegation in Islamabad, but no further action has been taken so far. No mechanisms have been developed to stop the attacks on media houses. Political parties, pressure groups and religious militant groups continuously attack media houses and journalists in an effort to dictate their policies, he added. He revealed a report that of 250 journalists from seven agencies and six frontier regions, one third have already moved to other areas and quit journalism. Journalists in FATA are working for multiple organizations – most as correspondents, freelancers and stringers. Sadly, not all have the luxury of being employed under a formal contract.

Also attending the award ceremony were Deputy Director Information Bahawalpur Division Nasir Hameed, Bahawalpur National Awami Party (BNAP) Central President Mian Ilyas Ayaz , District President PML(QA) Syed Salahuddin Ahmed Jeelani, District General Secretary PPP Bahawalpur Muhammad Ali Ahsan, Chairman Market Committee andPresident Markazi Anjuman Mian Mohd Younas, PML(N) leader Mehar Abdul Rehman Anjum, Professor Shehzad Ahmed Khan, and the presidents of Press clubs from Tehsil Sadar Bahawalpur, Tranda Muhammad Panah, Chanigoth, Mubarakpur, Khanqah Sharif, AhmedpurEast, and Samasatta.

President Ehsan Ahmed Sehar also announced that RMNP will give another press freedom award on May 3, 2015, on the eve of World Press Freedom Day.

Second Anniversary, On Its Way!

By Rida Zaidi

'Surf Safely... prohibited for viewer ship from within Pakistan!' This is the message that pops up on computer screens when you try to access You Tube that has been banned in the country for the past two year.It was September 17, 2012 when then Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf ordered the Information Ministry to block the world's largest videos sharing website in the country. The You Tube ban is a punishment (presumably to the site) for hosting a trailer of the blasphemous film, The Innocence of Muslims. Pakistani internet campaigners, mostly younger users, have been lobbying against the removal of the entire site by claiming it an act of "state censorship" and, therefore is despotic and tyrannical. Although other Islamic countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh also initially imposed the ban, it currently remains in effect only in Pakistan.

So on September 17,2014 we will celebrate the second anniversary of YouTube ban. But the question is that what changes and difficulties it created for the youth of Pakistan who were frequent users of YouTube? As YouTube was a major source of entertainment and a platform to find new music. Some youngsters are of the view that with the ban on YouTube state has violated their right of freedom of information. Youth is struggling as other than the controversial material there is also a wealth of truly helpful and educational material available on the site. YouTube has also been noted as being one of the most famous social media platforms for showcasing new and creative work for all age ranges. YouTube contains step-by-step tutorials about various techniques for painting, sculpting, and art projects etc. YouTube users are able to access full class lectures on a variety of subjects. The new emerging talent that includes singers, bands, musicians can upload video based on their free of cast and can promote their talent as the users of the site are spread all over the globe. So, it show that youth is seriously facing number of problems being not able to access all this. The fact is that this generation depends on and favours visual and virtual media (preferably brief), rather than written and physical sources of information.

In the meanwhile, citizens are still waiting for access to return. Some are able to open YouTube through proxies, but most proxies are unreliable and face connection issues. Those who do not have the patience to wait for the proxies to load are content to wait for the ban to be lifted. There are other sites for artists and musicians to upload and promote their work, including Vimeo and Dailymotion. However, these sites are still much less popular than YouTube, and enjoy less viewership.

Here everyone must be thinking that what is the solution of the problem? It's really simple. Interstitials were offered to Pakistan just like they were offered to Bangladesh, which accepted the solution last year and ended the ban.YouTube has already applied this, Pakistan doesn't even have to request it - it's been done. All that remains is for the government to make the decision to un-ban YouTube and move forward. As now that the controversial video is no longer on the site, people question the reason for the ban.

The world is changing more rapidly than ever before due to increasing technological advances. A decade ago YouTube did not exist; today it is reshaping how people communicate. So, how is life without YouTube? You know how it is with technology - once something becomes so ubiquitous and so universally used, it is simply impossible to imagine life without it. And how did we survive without YouTube? And for how long we have to survive without it? Only the God knows.