Iraq

Egypt boasts many national, party, independent, and opposition publications that feature some of the Arab world’s best-known commentators. But over the years, the government has alternated between crackdowns on the media and periods of relative openness. For Egyptian journalists, self-censorship is the norm because violating the country’s stringent press laws can land them in prison.…

Indonesia’s press freedom climate remains fragile, without the constitutional and legal safeguards necessary to guarantee journalists’ safety and access to information. In 2003, military restrictions on reporters’ access to conflict areas and harsh lawsuits presented the greatest threat to the media since former dictator Suharto was ousted in 1998.

The new government of Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez, formed in October 2003, pledged to improve basic freedoms in Jordan. But if the last two years are any indication, the task will be formidable. Since 2001, Jordan has witnessed a sharp erosion of liberties, chief among them press freedom. After King Abdullah II dissolved Parliament in…

In the lead-up to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, hundreds of international journalists assembled in Kuwait, the main launching pad for the U.S. invasion. Although journalists were able to report freely within the country, those seeking to cross the border into Iraq encountered stiff resistance from the Kuwaiti military.

Lebanese media feature diverse opinions, aggressive question-and-answer television programs with government officials, and lively criticism of authorities and policies. In addition, the prevalence of satellite dishes gives Lebanese citizens access to other Arab and international TV stations.

The multiple suicide bombings that rocked Casablanca on May 16, killing 44 people, triggered a government clampdown on the local media and further dimmed hopes that 40-year-old King Mohammed VI would institute greater press freedoms. In the aftermath of the attacks, the government ordered at least four newspapers closed and detained or imprisoned five journalists.…

After U.S. President George W. Bush claimed in his 2003 State of the Union address that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had attempted to buy uranium from the impoverished West African country of Niger, outraged journalists and President Mamadou Tandja, who has led the nation since its return to civilian rule in 1999, rallied to the…

The overwhelming issue facing the Philippine press in 2003 was the increasing number of journalists murdered with impunity. In the last year alone, at least five journalists were slain in the course of their work–a toll surpassed only by war-related killings of journalists in Iraq. But in the Philippines, this violence is not a temporary…

Singapore continued to promote its bid to become a “global media city ” in 2003 but failed to take any concrete steps toward loosening stringent controls over free speech and the press. As part of a campaign to liven up its stuffy international image, the government liberalized a number of its draconian social controls: Bungee…

Although Syrian officials continued to pay lip service to their support for more open media discourse in the country, in practice they failed to exhibit a willingness to tolerate independent news outlets in 2003. President Bashar al-Assad’s first months in office in 2000 witnessed important press freedom gains that included the launching of private and…