15 March 2007
Actions Against Journalists Worldwide Draw International Concern
United States, global community condemn violations of press freedom
Washington -- The United States, along with the global community, condemns actions taken against journalists in Bangladesh, the Gaza Strip and Egypt as well as the rising number of violent acts against female journalists worldwide.
Asked to comment on cases involving abuses of press freedom, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters March 12 that “just a cursory review” of the department’s human rights report reveals “a number of the challenges” for journalists in “various parts of the world trying to do their job.” (See related article.)
Casey said “when you look at the number of journalists who have suffered, either as a result of being kidnapped or suffered physical injuries or been killed in conflicts from around the world, it’s pretty clear that it’s a tough profession and it’s one that puts people’s lives often at risk.”
Casey said the United States continues to be “very much concerned” about press freedom.
“We try and work in a number of countries to support development of a free press and to be able to help push forward cases and highlight cases where that doesn’t occur,” said Casey. The State Department, he added, also is focused on Internet freedom and cases involving bloggers in such countries as China and Egypt, where journalists are not “engaged in traditional media activities but are trying to freely express their views in a public forum.”
HOUSE RESOLUTION ON BANGLADESHI JOURNALIST
On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives approved overwhelmingly a resolution urging the government of Bangladesh to drop sedition charges against a Bangladeshi journalist. The House measure, approved by a vote of 409-1, noted that the sedition charges against the journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, are by Bangladesh law punishable by death. The resolution urged that the charges be dismissed.
The resolution’s sponsor, Representative Mark Kirk of Illinois, said Choudhury is being harassed by the Bangladesh government for advocating religious tolerance. A U.S. House resolution expresses that legislative body’s opinion on a particular issue.
Kirk said in January 13 remarks on the House floor that a number of physical attacks have been committed against Choudhury for his work, including the bombing of Choudhury's newspaper offices on July 6, 2006. Kirk’s resolution called on the Bangladesh government to “cease harassment” of Choudhury, “take steps” for his protection, and “hold accountable those responsible for attacks” against him.
Choudhury won an award in 2005 for his commitment to courageous journalism from PEN USA, a nongovernmental organization that works to defend freedom of expression and resist censorship worldwide.
Kirk said intervention by the U.S. State Department helped get Choudhury released from a Bangladesh jail on bail in April 2005 after he had been incarcerated for 17 months without legal recourse.
The legislator also cited a State Department human rights report on Bangladesh that said “attacks on journalists and newspapers, and government efforts to intimidate them, political party activists, and others, occurred frequently.”
In a separate case, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said March 15 the United States was “disappointed” by an Egyptian appeals court’s decision to uphold the four-year prison sentence given to an Egyptian blogger for expressing his views about the government of Egypt. (See related article.)
McCormack said the conviction in February of Abdel Karim Soliman was a “setback for human rights in Egypt.” McCormack said the “role of freedom of expression is critical in a democratic and prosperous society and … applies to everyone.”
REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS
The Paris-based press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders called for the immediate release March 12 of British journalist, Alan Johnston, who was kidnapped by gunmen in the Gaza Strip.
Reporters Without Borders said Johnston, a correspondent for the British Broadcasting Company, was the second journalist kidnapped in Gaza since the beginning of 2007.
The Paris group said 14 foreign journalists have been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip since 2005, although most of them were freed quickly without being hurt.
Reporters Without Borders also issued a March 6 statement on the increase in violence against women journalists worldwide.
“More and more women journalists are the victims of murder, arrest, threats or intimidation,” said Reporters Without Borders. It said the “increase is due to the fact that more and more women are working as journalists, holding riskier jobs in the media and doing investigative reporting likely to upset someone.”
Reporters Without Borders said nine (11 percent) of the 82 journalists killed for work-related reasons worldwide in 2006 were women, compared to 2004 when only 2.5 percent of the 53 journalists killed were women. (See related article.)
In addition, seven women journalists currently are imprisoned worldwide on charges related to their work.
The Reporters Without Borders’ statements on Alan Johnston and women journalists are available on the organization’s Web site.
