May 05, 2010

Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based media watchdog group, released a report that lists the 40 worst offenders against freedom of the press. They released the report for World Press Freedom Day. The list includes the leaders of China, Russia, Rwanda, North Korea, and Myanmar as some of the world's worst "predators of freedom". The report said that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has "promoted a climate of pumped-up national pride that encourages the persecution of dissidents and free thinkers." In Rwanda, elections are due to be held in August and there's growing political tension in the country. An investigative journalists in Rwanda was thrown out of the country for criticizing President Paul Kagame. Robert Mukomboz, the journalist that was thrown out, told the BBC in an interview, "The president's office would try to dictate what I'm supposed to write, would even want to dictate the headlines, and would go to the extent of trying to draft the story for me and include my by-line."

Mexico is listed as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists -- 62 journalists have been killed in Mexico over the last decade. The report also listed Eta, the Basque separatist group in Spain, and criminal gangs in Italy as groups that have threatened journalists. Israeli Defense Forces were criticized for physically injuring 33 Palestinian journalists. The Palestinian militant group Hamas was also criticized. The Defense Secretary of Sri Lanka, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa -- who also happens to be the President's brother -- was accused in the report of condoning attacks against journalists. However, some progress has been made in Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa ordered the release of a journalist that was sentenced to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges. The journalist was a Tamil and he was convicted because the government said that articles he had written incited racial hatred. His released was ordered by the President on World Press Freedom Day. Other countries on the list include Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Libya, and Iran. For this year's list, Reporters Without Borders has removed several Iraqi Islamist groups from the list. The reason for this is that, while violence remains high in the area, journalists are no longer being singled out as targets. (Full Story) (Full Story)