John Emerson

The Paraguayan press was deeply divided by a constitutional conflict between Congress and the president that polarized the entire country and threatened to undermine Paraguay’s fragile democracy. The political crisis began in 1998, when Gen. Lino Oviedo, who led an unsuccessful 1996 coup against then-president Juan Carlos Wasmosy, emerged as the leading presidential candidate to…

President Alberto K. Fujimori continued his efforts to suppress critical reporting in a year that ended with the long-anticipated announcement that he would seek a third five-year term, a move widely considered unconstitutional. The Fujimori government’s systematic campaign to discredit Peru’s independent press earned him a place on CPJ’s list of the top 10 enemies…

Despite enjoying one of the freest presses in Asia, a number of Filipino journalists critical of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada found themselves in bitter conflict with the presidential palace in 1999. Those conflicts led to renewed fears that the media could find themselves under official assault, despite constitutional guarantees protecting a free press. In July,…

Poland became a member of NATO in April 1999 and looks forward to further integration with the West, including European Union membership in the next few years. The country has free and relatively professional media, but Poland’s positive press freedom record is marred by the government’s retention of criminal- libel statutes despite President Alexander Kwasniewski’s…

Political shakeouts and instability once again plagued Romania, complicating its hopes for admission to the European Union (EU). In December, President Emil Constantinescu effectively ousted Prime Minister Radu Vasile from the government and replaced his entire cabinet. Often blamed for the country’s continuing economic decline, Vasile was also evicted from the ruling Christian Democratic National…

“We have to protect the state from the media,” said Mikhail Lesin, the head of Russia’s new Ministry for the Press, Radio and Television Broadcasting, and Media Affairs, shortly after taking office in July. Coming in advance of the country’s legislative and presidential elections, it was a stunning statement of Kremlin intent. Lesin’s demonization of…

The prosecution of Rwandan journalists suspected of inciting members of the ethnic Hutu community to massacre ethnic Tutsis in 1994 proceeded in fits and starts over the last three months of the year. Four journalists currently face charges that include incitement to genocide. In June, Belgian-born radio-talk show host Georges Ruggiu admitted his involvement with…

After years of struggling under the autocratic leadership of former Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana, who resigned in November 1998, journalists in Samoa are beginning to breathe a little easier. “There’s been a bit of a renaissance here, as far as the media’s concerned,” said Savea Sano Malifa, publisher of the daily Samoa Observer. Tofilau’s…

Although Kuwait enjoys one of the region’s most vibrant and respected presses, journalists recently experienced a noticeable deterioration in their freedoms. Government censorship continued in 1999, as did criminal prosecutions of reporters under the country’s press law and criminal code. After a welcome January court decision that canceled a six-month prison sentence imposed on former…

In 1999, Sierra Leone became the world’s most dangerous country for journalists, with a total of 10 journalists killed in the line of duty. (See Special Report on Sierra Leone) The combined rebel forces of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) viewed all journalists as “enemies.” During a bloody…