The year 2003 was a black year for press freedom, with 42 journalists killed and a dramatic increase in other violations, the watchdog group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) said in its round-up for the year, issued Tuesday in Paris.
”Every gauge of press freedom violations in 2003 stood at red alert,” RSF said in its annual report.
The number of journalists killed around the world was the highest since 1995. In 2002, 25 journalists died in the line of duty.
According to RSF, ”the massive military deployment and the unprecedented scale of media coverage have a lot to do with” the rise in the number of deaths.
However, the group also noted that covering a war was becoming more hazardous due to ”the unpredictable hazards of bomb attacks, the use of more sophisticated weapons … and belligerents who care more about winning the war in images than respecting the safety of media staff”.
The Middle East was the most dangerous region for journalists in 2003, with 14 reporters and other media workers killed and 15 injured covering the war in Iraq and its aftermath.
According to RSF, ”the US military could be blamed for the death of at least five journalists, but in no case did they hold any investigation worthy of the name.”
Of the six journalists who disappeared last year, two of them vanished mysteriously in Iraq, French cameraman Frederic Nerac and Lebanese interpreter Hussain Othman.
Arrests of journalists and censorship of media reached ”a record high” in 2003, RSF said.
At least 766 journalists were arrested in 2003, and at least 1 420 were physically attacked or threatened.
”The relentless growth in violations of press freedom since 2001 is undoubtedly linked to the fight against terrorism and to anti-terror laws adopted by some countries since the September 11 attacks,” the report noted.
As of January 1, 2004, there were at least 124 journalists still imprisoned around the world, either for their opinions or their work.
RSF cited Fidel Castro’s Cuba (30 journalists in prison), Burma (17), Eritrea (14) and Iran (11) as the worst culprits.
In addition, RSF noted that more than 200 journalists were physically attacked or received death threats in Bangladesh last year. – Sapa-DPA