Media group lists 'oppressive' countries for journalists
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 07:19:00 06/17/2008
Filed Under: Media, Crime
BELGRADE -- The International Press Institute on Monday highlighted the oppressive conditions for media in a number of countries, including Zimbabwe and Russia, officials said Monday.
The PIE board "unanimously" voted to keep Ethiopia, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe on its "watch list" of countries where press freedom has significantly deteriorated, said a statement.
In Zimbabwe, the conditions for media have "remained oppressive, and spiraled to new lows in the aftermath of the disputed elections, held on March 29," the IPI said.
Ethiopia remained on the list despite the release of 15 journalists in 2007. Journalists there were still feeling the after-effects of a 2005 crackdown, said the IPI.
In neighboring Eritrea, the fate of two journalists with the state broadcaster who were arrested while trying to enter Somalia were still unknown, added the media group.
In Nepal, journalists had been attacked and intimidated during the April parliamentary election.
The IPI board also warned: "Russia continued to be a dangerous place for journalists," noting that a number of charges of criminal defamation have been brought against editors and journalists "critical of public officials."
Journalists had been targeted in Sri Lanka because of their reports, with the authorities pressuring the media over "unpatriotic" reports.
"Attacks on journalists, including murder, remain unpunished, with no apparent official investigations being conducted into such crimes," the media group said.
The IPI also warned that in Venezuela, despite the failure of President Hugo Chavez's bid to amend the country's constitution on press freedom, private media continued to face verbal, physical and legal attacks.
Established in 1950, the Vienna-based IPI is the oldest global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from 128 countries around the world.
Its main goal is to defend rights of journalists and freedom of press throughout the world.
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