IPI Report Highlights Violations of Press Freedom, Attacks and Harassment of Journalists in First Six Months of 2011
4 July 2011
By Naomi Hunt, Press Freedom Adviser
No region of the world saw as much upheaval or received as much international media attention in the first six months of 2011 as North Africa and the Middle East.
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In Bahrain, where peaceful demonstrations by protestors demanding political reform were brutally suppressed with the help of Saudi troops in March, activists and bloggers have been targeted,
arrested, imprisoned, tortured and even killed in the aftermath – prompting new demonstrations this week.
IPI Report Highlights Violations of Press Freedom, Attacks and Harassment of Journalists in First Six Months of 2011
4 July 2011
By Naomi Hunt, Press Freedom Adviser
No region of the world saw as much upheaval or received as much international media attention in the first six months of 2011 as North Africa and the Middle East.
[..]
In Bahrain, where peaceful demonstrations by protestors demanding political reform were brutally suppressed with the help of Saudi troops in March, activists and bloggers have been targeted,
arrested, imprisoned, tortured and even killed in the aftermath – prompting new demonstrations this week.
Mass protests have not ended in success for demonstrators in Bahrain, Syria or Libya. In the kingdom of Bahrain, ruled by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, journalists were among those targeted by security forces during the first days of protest. One particularly egregious early attack came on 18 February, when a helicopter fired on a crew from the New York Times. In March, the printer of the private daily Al‐Wasat was attacked and copies of that day’s paper ruined in the process, reports said. The persecution of activists and journalists worsened after the entry of Saudi troops in mid‐March. Reporters from Western media were interrogated and in some cases expelled. Less fortunate journalists were reportedly detained for days, beaten and tortured.
Opposition websites were blocked.
Alongside journalists and activists, hospital staff who aided victims and sent images of their torn bodies around the world have been accused of supporting the attempted overthrow of the king, jailed and allegedly tortured. It is believed that their real crime was speaking to international media about atrocities. A CNN crew was detained while interviewing the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) on 30 March, Nabeel Rajab; his home was later attacked with teargas grenades, and he was accused of fabricating photos of a tortured rights activist. In June, a founder of the same organization, Abdulhadi al‐Khawaja, was sentenced to life in prison by a military court for an attempted coup. Numerous bloggers and activists received long jail terms for their part in the demonstrations, sparking new protests in late June. Two reporters were killed for their work ‐ both under suspicious circumstances. Blogger Zakariya Rashid Hassan al‐Ashiri and Al‐Wasat founder Karim Fakhrawi both died while in government custody in April; the regime claimed that they had died of illnesses, but their bodies
showed signs of torture.
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“Events in the Middle East have demonstrated that people want access to information and accountability from their leaders, and the lengths they will go to achieve these goals. A free media is integral to all of these, and to democracy as a whole ” said Alison Bethel McKenzie, IPI Director. “However, these events have also demonstrated the lengths that governments will go to, to prevent damaging truths from emerging, and to clamp down on free speech. This report is proof that around the world, there remain many lessons to be learned about respecting free speech and defending a free media.”
Full report
freemedia.at
