To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: World Association of Newspapers (WAN), lkilman@wan.asso.fr
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 7:58 AM
Cape Town, South Africa, 2 June 2007 For immediate release
Murders, Repression Characterize Dangers to Press Around the Globe
Nearly 60 journalists have been murdered in the past months, andprosecution of journalists for "treason" and "extremism" are on the rise,according to the annual half-year review of press freedom by the WorldAssociation of Newspapers.
The report, presented Saturday to the Board of the Paris-based WAN on theeve of the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Cape Town,South Africa, painted a grim picture of attacks, imprisonment and murderfacing journalists in many countries.
"The past six months have brought another disturbingly high death toll ofjournalists and media professionals, killed both in and outside of conflictzones. A quasi-total impunity still prevails throughout the world and mostnotably in Central and Latin America, but also in the war-torn Iraq and inRussia," said the report.
"Administrative and legal harassment, arbitrary arrests and detentions haveremained a pattern to suppress press freedom in countries as diverse asBelarus, Egypt, Zimbabwe, China or Vietnam. As for death threats, theycontinue to reach investigative reporters, whether they work in Haiti or inCroatia."
"Whereas criminal defamation was still broadly used against journalistsover the past six months, cases of prosecution on the severe charges of³treason² or ³extremism² seemed to be on the rise," it said. "New court andsearch cases throughout Europe and in the United States came to confirm theurgency to provide for a clear legal protection of journalists confidentialsources."
Fifty-nine journalists have been killed since November 2006. Iraq remains the most deadly place country, with 26 killed.
The report, with region-by-region details, is available on the WAN web site at:
http://www.wan-press.org/article14321.html
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry,defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000newspapers; its membership includes 76 national newspaper associations,newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries,12 news agencies and 10 regional and world-wide press groups.
Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue GeoffroySt Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 4948. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36.
E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr
**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole
responsibility of WAN**
