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Pakistan, Somalia world’s deadliest places for press |
Pakistan and Somalia are the deadliest places in the
world for the press, with the highest numbers of journalists having been killed
in these countries in 2009, a worldwide press freedom round-up has claimed. “
Afghanistan (149th) is sapped not only by Taliban violence and death threats,
but also by unjustified arrests by the security forces. Despite having a dynamic
news media, Pakistan (159th) is crippled by murders of journalists and the aggressiveness
of the Taliban,” Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was quoted by the
Daily Times, as saying. “Press freedom must be defended everywhere in the world
with the same energy and the same insistence,” RSF Secretary-General Jean-François
Julliard said. The organisation compiles the index annually on the basis of questionnaires
filled by hundreds of journalists and media experts around the world. The report
said Europe had long set an example of press freedom, but several European nations
had fallen significantly in this year’s index. Although the first 13 places were
still held by European countries, others such as France (43rd), Slovakia (44th)
and Italy (49th) had fallen significantly. In so doing, they have given way to
young democracies in Africa ( Mali , South Africa and Ghana ) and the western
hemisphere ( Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago ). “Journalists are still physically
threatened in Italy and Spain (44th), but also in the Balkans, especially Croatia
(78th), where the owner and marketing director of the weekly Nacional were killed
by a bomb on October 23 2008,” the RSF index said. The US climbed 20 places in
the rankings to the 20th spot, in just one year. “But this sharp rise concerns
only the state of press freedom within the United States . President Obama may
have been awarded the Nobel peace prize, but his country is still fighting two
wars. Despite a slight improvement, the attitude of the United States towards
the media in Iraq and Afghanistan is worrying. Several journalists were injured
or arrested by the US military. One, Ibrahim Jassam, is still being held in Iraq
,” the RSF report said. |
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