LIBERIA: LEADING JOURNALIST FEARED DEAD AMID CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA

View the webzine version of the IFEX "Communique" on line at:
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International Freedom of Expression eXchange Clearing House
_____________________________________________________________________
COMMUNIQUE # 11-27 9 July 2002

**INDEX**

1. Post-September 11th Free-Expression Fears Confirmed, Says IFJ
Report
2. RSF Highlights "Impunity Black List" & Role of Local Justice as
ICC Starts Work

REGIONAL NEWS:
3. Liberia: Leading Journalist Feared Dead Amid Crackdown on Media
4. Zimbabwe: 13 Journalists Charged Since March Under Repressive
Laws
5. Vietnam: New Controls on Information Amid Corruption Scandal
6. Serbia/Bosnia: Media Democratisation Faces Continued Obstacles,
Report ANEM and CPJ

OTHER NEWS FROM THE IFEX COMMUNITY:
7. WiPC Campaigns on Behalf of Journalists in Horn of Africa
8. IAPA Hemisphere Summit Brings Together Judges and Journalists

AWARDS:
9. Mexican Journalist Wins IAPA Grand Prize for Press Freedom

OTHER ALERTS ISSUED BY THE IFEX CLEARING HOUSE DURING THE PAST WEEK

** ** **

POST-SEPTEMBER 11th FREE-EXPRESSION FEARS CONFIRMED, SAYS IFJ REPORT

Fears that the September 11 attacks on the United States and the
subsequent "war on terrorism" would create a crisis for journalism and
civil liberties have been confirmed, concludes a new International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report.

Last October, an IFJ report, based on a survey of its member
organisations, revealed fears of a fast-developing crisis for journalism
and civil liberties in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Some eight
months later, these fears have been confirmed, says IFJ in an update of
that report. The "war on terrorism" has "created a dangerous situation
in which journalists have become victims as well as key actors in
reporting events," states IFJ. "Inevitably, it has created a pervasive
atmosphere of paranoia in which the spirit of press freedom and
pluralism is fragile and vulnerable."

In addition to the brutal killing of Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, and the
deaths of nine journalists in Afghanistan, the report documents a range
of negative effects on media around the world. For example, journalists
in India warn that a new Prevention of Terrorism Act may lead to more
self-censorship in the coverage of separatist movements. Jordan's
government took advantage of the anti-terrorism campaign to make
restrictive changes to its penal code and press law. In Ukraine,
parliament has adopted an anti-terrorism law with provisions that
"amount to a severe restriction on freedom of expression." In May, the
European Parliament agreed to allow European Union member states to pass
laws giving authorities regular access to people's telephone and
Internet communications, a change which IFJ says would have been
"unthinkable" before September 11th.

In the United States, IFJ's affiliate, the Newspaper Guild-CWA, says
that journalists and media staff have on the whole acted responsibly
since September 11th. However, the report cites a range of press freedom
concerns, including: expectations faced by some journalists to become
"patriots first, and journalists second," efforts by the Bush
administration to curb or control the flow of news, and the danger of
increasing self-censorship among journalists. For more information, see
www.ifj.org.

RSF HIGHLIGHTS "IMPUNITY BLACK LIST" & ROLE OF LOCAL JUSTICE AS ICC
STARTS WORK

As the International Criminal Court (ICC) began its work on 1 July,
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the
Damocles Network published an "impunity black list" of 21 countries
where "murderers, abductors and torturers of journalists enjoy full
impunity." The two organisations say that "in these countries, torture
is often sanctioned by government policy and the judicial system is
controlled by the executive branch or by corrupt political leaders who
shield the criminals." The blacklist includes: Algeria, Angola,
Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cambodia, China, Colombia,
Russia, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
Syria, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

RSF and the Damocles Network identify nine other countries "in which
impunity is a way of life," but which have taken some initial steps to
change this state of affairs. However, these countries "have yet to
prove that this process is irreversible." These "watchlist" countries
are: Georgia, Indonesia, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Philippines,
Serbia-Montenegro, Sri Lanka and Turkey. The two organisations also
praise countries that have clearly decided to confront the problem of
impunity head-on and find a solution, namely Chile, Afghanistan, and
East Timor.

Meanwhile, RSF and the Damocles Network point to Rwanda to illustrate
the continued importance of justice at the local level, even as the
world's attention focuses on the new ICC. On 1 July, the two
organisations sent a delegation to Rwanda to monitor the establishment
of local traditional courts and highlight cases of journalists who will
appear before them. The organisations "fully support the establishment
of the ICC, but point out that local and traditional courts also have a
role in national reconciliation."

More than 120,000 people are in jail in Rwanda, including 30 journalists
accused of participating in the 1994 genocide, note RSF and the Damocles
Network. Both organisations say that at least two of the journalists,
Dominique Makeli and Tatiana Mukakibibi, are being held simply because
they did their job of informing the public.

RSF states that its interest in national traditional justice comes at a
time of new tension between Rwandan authorities and officials of the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and as recent court
decisions in Belgium have challenged several assumptions of
international criminal law. "More than ever, national courts have a
leading part to play in the fight against impunity," says RSF. For more
information, see www.rsf.org.

** ** **
REGIONAL NEWS

AFRICA

3. LIBERIA: LEADING JOURNALIST FEARED DEAD AMID CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA

Freedom-of-expression organisations have raised concerns over the fate
of Hassan Bility, a prominent Liberian newspaper editor. The journalist
is missing and feared dead, say the Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF),
while Human Rights Watch (HRW) is concerned that he may be at risk of
torture and ill-treatment.

Bility, the editor of the independent weekly "The Analyst," was arrested
on 24 June, together with three other Liberians, on suspicion of
operating a rebel terrorist cell in Monrovia, says HRW. The organisation
reports that the government has twice failed to honour a court order to
produce the detainees in court. RSF adds that Bility has been accused of
plotting with anti-government rebels to kill President Charles Taylor.
Bility's newspaper has been extremely critical of Taylor's regime, and
has been shut down by the government twice this year, reports CPJ.

The journalist is "the most recent victim of the Liberian government's
crackdown against the independent media," says HRW. The organisation
notes that, in the face of a rebel incursion since mid-2000, the
government has become increasingly intolerant of dissent. Since imposing
a state of emergency in February, Liberia has intensified its harassment
of civil society groups and the independent media. For more information,
see www.hrw.org, www.cpj.org, and www.rsf.org.

4. ZIMBABWE: 13 JOURNALISTS CHARGED SINCE MARCH UNDER REPRESSIVE LAWS

Independent journalists in Zimbabwe are facing a "spiralling pattern of
arrests and legal charges," says ARTICLE 19 in a new briefing note on
media repression in the country. Since March, 36 journalists have been
arrested and 13 charged - 8 for allegedly publishing "false news."
Several have reportedly been beaten in custody. ARTICLE 19 adds that, as
of 1 July, all journalists must apply for registration with a
government-controlled Media Commission and may be refused if they do not
meet criteria to be set by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo.

ARTICLE 19 notes that most of the recent charges, as well as the new
registration requirement, are based on the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Law, signed into law in March [see IFEX
"Communiqué" #11-11]. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
reports that this new law has already been used 14 times to arrest
journalists in Zimbabwe, and was used most recently on 4 July to bring
charges of "writing falsehoods" against "Daily News" reporter Chris
Gande. For more information, see www.article19.org/docimages/1313.htm
and www.misanet.org.

ASIA

5. VIETNAM: NEW CONTROLS ON INFORMATION AMID CORRUPTION SCANDAL

The Vietnamese government has renewed its efforts to control information
and curtail free expression, report the Committee to Protect
Journalists, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF),
and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

These actions come amid a high-profile corruption scandal, which has
spurred speculation about potential government leadership changes,
states CPJ. On 20 June, a Communist official declared that the media
were no longer permitted to report freely on the corruption case
involving a well-known criminal gang. Domestic media have played an
important role in exposing the corruption case, which implicated several
high-level leaders and resulted in almost 100 arrests, notes CPJ. The
organisation reports other worrisome developments, including: the
detention of two writers, Le Chi Quang and Pham Song Hon, for posting
essays online; new plans to tighten controls over Web access and
Internet cafés; and increased surveillance and harassment of prominent
intellectuals and writers.

A new decree also bars most Vietnamese citizens' access to foreign
television programmes, report RSF and CPJ. Under the 18 June ban, only
government officials, state-run media, and foreign businesses and
residents are allowed to access international television programs
transmitted by satellite. RSF notes that the ban came soon after
articles appeared in the government-controlled press denouncing the
"harmful" nature of some foreign TV programmes. For more information,
see www.cpj.org and www.rsf.org.

BALKANS

6. SERBIA/BOSNIA: MEDIA DEMOCRATISATION FACES CONTINUED OBSTACLES,
REPORT ANEM AND CPJ

Despite the October 2001 ouster of Slobodan Milosevic, progress toward a
free and democratic media in Serbia and neighbouring Bosnia remains
limited. The Serbian government has withdrawn a bill to democratise
electronic media, reports the Association of Independent Electronic
Media (ANEM). Meanwhile, a new Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
report highlights ongoing threats of violent attack against journalists
and the lack of progress in police investigations into the killings of
journalists.

On 1 July, the Serbian government withdrew draft broadcasting
legislation, a move which ANEM calls "one of the most serious blows to
the democratisation of the media sector since the government was
established." The bill "was the first legislation to make a clean break
with the totalitarian past, paving the way for the establishment of
democratic standards in the socially vital sector of electronic media."
ANEM believes the government withdrew the bill because "a section of the
governing coalition is not ready for genuine democratisation of the
electronic media in line with prevailing European standards." The
organisation is concerned about proposed amendments that would give the
state excessive influence over the make-up of the Broadcast Agency
Council. ANEM continues to advocate new legislation to protect the media
from political influence. For more information, see
http://www.anem.org.yu/eng.

In its new report, titled "Progress Denied," CPJ examines the lagging
police investigations into the April 1998 murder of newspaper editor
Slavko Curuvija in Belgrade, the June 2001 murder of reporter Milan
Pantic in central Serbia, and the October 1999 car bombing of editor
Zeljko Kopanja in Bosnia. The police investigation into the
assassination of Curuvija, for example, has gone nowhere despite
evidence implicating Milosevic's intelligence services in the attack,
states CPJ. Milosevic's downfall was also expected to weaken hard-line
nationalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Serbia continues to exert
great influence. Yet Bosnian journalists who write about sensitive
issues such as war crimes have faced death threats and worse, notes the
report.

"Serbian president Vojislav Kostunica promised to democratise Serbia and
establish the rule of law after he succeeded Milosevic in the fall of
2001," states CPJ. "Two years later, the dominant republic in the
Yugoslav Federation is indeed more democratic. But many Serbian
journalists say they will not feel secure until the cycle of impunity is
broken." CPJ's report is available at
www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Bosnia_Serbia_june02/BosniaSerbia_june02.html
.

** ** **

OTHER NEWS FROM THE IFEX COMMUNITY

7. WIPC CAMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF JOURNALISTS IN HORN OF AFRICA

The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN is currently
campaigning on behalf of freedom of expression in the Horn of Africa.
The campaign, from 19 June to 16 July, includes parallel efforts in
support of journalists in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Eritrean side of the
campaign focuses on 23 missing journalists, presumed to be in detention
or carrying out enforced national service. It also includes demands for
the immediate restoration of licences for eight private newspapers shut
down in September 2001. The Ethiopian campaign emphasises the case of
jailed newspaper editor Lubaba Said and the government tactic of
bringing endless court actions against independent journalists, usually
for alleged publication of false information or defamation. The final
week of the campaign, 10 to 16 July, focuses on court cases against
journalists in Ethiopia.

In addition to appeals to government authorities, the campaign
encourages individuals to arrange embassy visits, lobby their own
national governments, and draw attention to the plight of independent
journalists in Eritrea and Ethiopia. For more information, contact Dixe
Wills, Researcher, WiPC, International PEN, 9/10 Charterhouse Buildings,
Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7AT, United Kingdom, tel: +44 207 253 3226,
fax: +44 207 253 5711, [email protected].

8. IAPA HEMISPHERE SUMMIT BRINGS TOGETHER JUDGES AND JOURNALISTS

At the recent Hemisphere Summit on Justice and Freedom of the Press,
judges and journalists agreed on the essential role that both the
judiciary and the press play in consolidating democracy and the public's
right to information, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA)
reports. More than 250 delegates participated in the summit, organised
by IAPA from 20-22 June in Washington D.C. The meeting's main objective
was to find common ground and establish open dialogue between the
judiciary and the press, which participants described as "twin
institutions" and "two wings of the same bird."

This is the first time that 44 Supreme Court justices and dozens of
journalists from across the Americas have been brought together in one
venue to discuss issues of common concern, notes IAPA. Participants
expressed diverse opinions on the decriminalisation of libel and
slander, the burden of proof, and the right to honour and privacy.
Access to judicial and official information and impunity in crimes
against journalists were among the other issues discussed. For more
information, see http://216.147.196.167/latestnews_summit.cfm.

** ** **
AWARDS

9. MEXICAN JOURNALIST WINS IAPA GRAND PRIZE FOR PRESS FREEDOM

Mexican journalist Jesús Blancornelas, known for his courageous coverage
of Mexican drug cartels, has been awarded the Inter American Press
Association (IAPA) Grand Prize for Press Freedom. Blancornelas won the
prize for his article, "Los Intocables" (The Untouchables), published in
the Miami-based "Revista Poder."

IAPA describes Blancornelas, the director of the Tijuana-based weekly
magazine "Zeta," as a journalist "who has dedicated his career and,
indeed, his well-being to the pursuit of a free press that is vigilant,
untainted by corruption, and committed to defending the Mexican people.
Not even the bullets of a would-be assassin have silenced Blancornelas."
In November 1997, the journalist was shot four times, but survived. Last
January, he received death threats related to his work.

The award, which includes a prize of US$2,000, will be presented at
IAPA's 58th General Assembly in Lima, Peru from 25-28 October. For more
information, see http://216.147.196.167/latestnews_Iapaaward2002.cfm.

** ** **
OTHER ALERTS ISSUED BY THE IFEX CLEARING HOUSE DURING THE PAST WEEK

2/7/2002
COLOMBIA: Paramilitaries suspected in killing of radio station owner (m)
(CPJ) - press release/alert
KAZAKHSTAN: Editor's (f) daughter killed in mysterious circumstances
(RSF) - alert
NEPAL: CPJ asks government to respond to reports of custodial killing,
pro-Maoist editor (m) Krishna Sen feared dead (CPJ) - press
release/action alert update
YEMEN: Journalist (m) arrested (RSF) - alert
CUBA: Journalist (m) receives death threat in custody (WiPC) - action
alert update
SENEGAL: IFJ condemns threats against Senegalese sports journalists
(IFJ) - press release/alert
JAPAN: IFJ condemns proposed laws as "threat to press freedom and
journalism" (IFJ) - press release/update
SRI LANKA: Fact-finding mission notes progress in investigation into
journalist (m) Nimalarajan's assassination (RSF) - press release/update
ITALY: IPI criticises pressure on Italian media and notes failure to
keep politics at arms-length (IPI) - press release/update
EGYPT: Camera crews detained; journalist attacked by thugs (CPJ) - press
release/alert

3/7/2002
ZAMBIA: High Court grants journalists bail (MISA) - action alert update
ZIMBABWE: Reporter thrown out of courtroom (MISA) - alert
COLOMBIA: IAPA protests journalist's murder (IAPA) - press
release/update

4/7/2002
NIGER: Publication director of "Le Canard déchaîné" sentenced to eight
months' imprisonment without parole (RSF) - alert update
VENEZUELA: Owner of daily "La Nación" kidnapped (IFJ-L) - action alert
BELARUS: CPJ releases statement marking anniversary of cameraman's
disappearance (CPJ) - press release/update
YEMEN: CPJ protests ongoing detention of journalists (CPJ) - action
alert update
FRANCE: European Court of Human Rights condemns France for attacks on
the freedom to inform; RSF calls for review of 1881 press law (RSF) -
alert
COLOMBIA: Radio station journalists threatened (IPYS) - action alert
MACEDONIA: Cover price of government-owned newspaper cut in half (WAN) -
action alert

5/7/2002
MALAWI: Regulatory authority back-pedals on threat to radio station
(MISA) - alert update
ETHIOPIA: Two editors (m) released on bail (WiPC) - action alert update
COSTA RICA: On first anniversary of journalist's death, RSF concerned
that crime remains unpunished (RSF) - press release/update
REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Senior police official threatens journalist (RSF) -
alert
PALESTINE/ISRAEL: Two Moroccan journalists detained by Israeli military
(IFJ) - press release/alert

** ** **
The IFEX "Communiqué" is published weekly in English, French and Spanish
by the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) Clearing
House. The office is operated by Canadian Journalists for Free
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