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Brussels Dear Friends, As we approach another World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, we are reminded of our brave colleagues who have died trying to tell the story in just the first quarter of 2006. We count 29 journalists and support staff who have lost their lives in 13 countries -- the same toll as at this point in 2005, which turned out to be the bloodiest year on record. All but two were murdered. Circumstances were not always clear but in most cases the indications were that they died because of their work. Iraq continues to be the main killing ground of modern times for the news media, with nine deaths so far. News fatalities began there when the kidnappers of American journalist Jill Carroll shot dead her interpreter, Alin Ghazi, at the beginning of January. Jill was mercifully released unharmed four months later. Two thirds of the 110 news media staff who have died in the Iraq conflict so far are Iraqi, half of them at the hands of unknown insurgents. The environment has become even more dangerous for local journalists in recent weeks, with an increase in the premeditated murder of people close to their homes. Apart from Iraq, afflicted countries were India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Guyana, China, Ecuador, Russia, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, Nigeria and Venezuela. Details on our website: http://www.newssafety.com/casualties/2006.htm
INSI's world inquiry into the causes of journalist deaths gathers pace. Our schedule of interviews with journalists in conflict areas is almost complete, and a team of researchers has begun mining historical details of deaths over the past 15 years from several sources. Later this week, we are consulting a group of top international legal experts to get advice on how best to present our findings to governments, militaries and the international community. We hope the process will be complete by about September or October. Already, we have identified impunity as a major problem behind the rising death toll. So long as governments fail to honestly pursue and prosecute the killers of journalists, the more ruthless elements will take up the gun or the bomb as the most effective and risk-free form of censorship.
We have failed miserably thus far in attracting support within the UN Security Council for a resolution on the safety of journalists in conflict -- not even for a small paragraph on journalists in a resolution on the safety of civilians. But we have been encouraged by expressions of outside support. Citing INSI casualty figures, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights told the Commission's 62nd session in Geneva in January that the INSI/IFJ/EBU resolution was "worth careful consideration". He said there was a need for international guidelines and rules which could be drafted by the Commission and adopted by the General Assembly. As reported previously, Kofi Annan himself expressed sympathy when presented with the draft resolution at the World Electronic Media Forum last year. We will be pursuing this vigorously. Meanwhile we welcome reports that the World Bank may be prepared to apply pressure where it hurts -- in the pocket -- to governments that maltreat journalists. The Bank rebuked Kenya for a violent raid on KTN Television and the Standard newspaper, admitted to have been planned by government officials. The Standard reported the Bank had imposed a new rule making press freedom a condition before agreeing to release $250 million in loans to Kenya.
The British Defence Ministry decision to include journalist safety for the first time in its Green Book of military-media operations in war -- the result of an INSI initiative -- was heartening. We particularly welcome the pledge that British forces will never deliberately target journalists. A major military power has at last publicly recognised journalist safety as an issue to be addressed. In Iraq, the Americans moved to meet criticism of their treatment of Iraqi journalists by offering new safeguards to prevent a repeat of lengthy detentions suffered by several reporters last year. Abandoning a policy that denied journalists special status, the general in charge of detentions, Major General Jack Gardner, said in a Reuters interview that such arrests would now be treated as "almost unique" cases. He promised reports of abuse would be investigated. And he added, in a remark applauded by INSI, that troops should be given better training in dealing with the media on the battlefield before being sent to Iraq.
INSI has now provided basic safety training free of charge to more than 500 journalists in 11 countries, including Iraq. In Latin America, we have been concentrating on Colombia and Venezuela, where we found in addition to physical threat a significantly high incidence of trauma related to journalistic activities. We are working on this with our friends in the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Safety training is at the heart of our work and we continue to seek major funding to maintain a consistent programme.
A strong -- and growing -- membership helps INSI gather money from the international donor community for our vital work. We heartily welcome new members Al Jazeera International and The NewsMarket, as well as Juan Garcia of High Risk Security Services who joined as an individual. It is not widely known that individuals can be members and support our work for a very modest EUR 50.00 annually. Go to http://www.newssafety.com/aboutus/joinus.htm and come in out of the cold!
The International Press Institute, which, along with the International Federation of Journalists, founded INSI in 2003, is holding its World Congress and 55th General Assembly in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 27-30 May. INSI will be participating in a safety session, "Dying to Tell The Story", on Monday 29 May. Hope to see you there.
Go safely! |