December 11 Jonathan C. Randal, The Washington Post The U.N. International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague (ICTY) ruled to limit compelled testimony from war correspondents. The decision, announced at the tribunal’s Appeals Chamber, came in response to the appeal by former Washington Post reporter Jonathan C. Randal, who had been…
With President Jean-Bertrand Aristide under pressure qrom the international community and Haitian opposition groups to expedite political and economic reforms and to resolve a two-year-old electoral impasse that has stalled the flow of millions of dollars in aid, Haiti’s embattled press corps vigilantly reported the news despite political unrest and a deteriorating economy.
There were signs that the press freedom climate improved this year under President Ricardo Maduro, of the National Party (PN), who took office on January 27. Maduro has shown more tolerance of criticism than his predecessor, Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé, and so far has not attempted to co-opt the press. However, some journalists cautioned that…
As Hungary continues its progress toward European Union (EU) membership in 2004, a change in government in April led to the appointment of new officials in charge of public television. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative government, defeated in April elections, had previously used its political influence to pressure the public broadcasting service to provide positive…
India is famous for being the world’s largest democracy, but government actions in 2002 to curb the press indicate a growing intolerance among the country’s leadership. Many journalists say the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to target its critics in the media as a matter of policy–and largely gets away with it.
Separatist rebellions, a deteriorating economy, and political intrigue combined to keep Indonesia on edge for much of 2002. But despite the many challenges and tensions facing the country, the press remained substantially free and hung on to most gains made since 1998, when decades of dictatorship ended with the ouster of then president Suharto.
Liberal newspapers that have emerged in Iran since reformist president Muhammed Khatami took office six years ago serve as an important platform for his agenda of social and political reform. But the reformist media continue to face repression from the conservative-controlled judiciary, which has closed publications, prosecuted and arrested journalists, and fostered a climate of…
With the threat of U.S. military action looming, President Saddam Hussein invited the foreign press to cover a sham election in October, in which the government reported that he took 100 percent of the vote, extending his rule another seven years. A few days later, the media covered demonstrations that followed Hussein’s order to empty…
While the press is largely free within Israel proper, the country’s military assault on the Occupied Territories fueled a sharp deterioration in press freedom in the West Bank and Gaza during much of 2002. Despite vocal international protest, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) committed an assortment of press freedom abuses, ranging from banning press access…