26 February 2002
SAYS IPI; DANIEL PEARL KILLED
The International Press Institute (IPI) has released its annual review of world-wide press freedom calling 2001 a year in which war was "waged on the media" in many parts of the world and governments made "unprecedented" attempts to control the free flow of information. Examining 176 countries, the group says 55 journalists were killed in the last 12 months, just under the previous year's total of 56.
For the second year in a row, Colombia led all countries with the highest number of journalists killed â 11 â remaining the most dangerous country in the world to practice journalism, says IPI. The Americas proved the most dangerous region in the world for journalists, claiming 21 lives, while the deaths of 8 reporters during the war in Afghanistan drove up the number of deaths in Asia to 16 last year.
In Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe's "desperate desire to hold onto power" was one of the most significant press freedom issues of the year, IPI remarks. Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party systematically pursued a policy of intimidating journalists and editors, drafting "repressive" media legislation and clamping down on foreign correspondents. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, the continuing conflict saw scores of attacks on Palestinian media workers, says IPI. The group says there is undeniable evidence that the Israeli army has been targeting media, adding that Palestinian security forces also suppressed the media.
IPI says the overwhelming problem for the media is that many governments do not understand its role. It says inter-governmental organisations and neighbouring countries of repressive regimes must do more to convince governments that a "free and open media is crucial to their country's success and its perception abroad." To view the complete report, see www.freemedia.at/index1.html. ">http://www.freemedia.at">www.freemedia.at/index1.html.
DANIEL PEARL KILLED
As IPI released its report, press freedom groups were mourning the death of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped in January while attempting to meet with Islamic radical groups. Canadian Journalists for Free Expression says he was investigating possible links between the al-Qaeda terrorist network and Richard Reid, who was arrested in December on a Paris-Miami flight he is said to have boarded with explosives in his shoes. On 22 February, the "Wall Street Journal" announced that Pearl was dead after United States and Pakistani officials received a videotape showing the journalist being killed, says the World Association of Newspapers. Four suspects have been arrested in relation to the murder, including the alleged mastermind, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh.
The International Federation of Journalists says journalism world-wide "faces its gravest crisis when terrorists or political tyrants target reporters." The group says Pearl was not representing his government or any political movement, adding that there is an urgent need for an international campaign to eliminate all forms of targeting of media and journalists. [See IFEX Communiqu%26#233; #11-6].">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=4106">Communiqué #11-6].
For more information, see www.cjfe.org, www.ifj.org and www.wan-press.org.
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