2005 World Press Freedom Review_Foreword

The high death toll for journalists continued in 2005 with 65 journalists killed. Iraq, where 23 journalists died, remains the world’s most dangerous country for the media. Journalists also died in 21 other countries, including Bangladesh, Haiti, Russia, and Somalia.

There were four journalists killed in eastern Europe, but western Europe’s most significant event was the 7 July London bombings. The attack led to British draft legislation prohibiting the "glorification" of terrorism. In September, an EU policy paper discussed the media’s involvement in "radicalising" terrorism and hinted at voluntary codes of conduct as a solution. These moves signalled a shift in the balance between liberty and security, and also shaped the political debate over the controversial cartoons of Mohammed published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September.

In Asia, where 20 journalists were killed, China is embracing capitalism without introducing the requisite freedoms. As European politicians sought trade deals and American computer companies helpfully censored their Internet software, numerous journalists and Internet activists remained in Chinese prisons. Nine journalists were murdered in the Philippines making it the world’s most hazardous country outside of a conflict zone; while in Sri Lanka, there has been a return to journalists being murdered due to their alleged political allegiances. Jour-nalists in Nepal are engaged in a vocal, but unequal battle for press freedom.

With 26 journalists killed, the Middle East and Northern Africa is the most uniformly restricted region in the world. With few exceptions, governments maintain a tight grip on the free flow of information. In Iraq, the insurgency targeted the media, forcing foreign journalists to remain in protected zones. As a result, Iraqi journalists suffered the highest casualties. Elsewhere, in Lebanon, the murder of two journalists has intimidated one of the region’s liveliest media.

Four journalists were killed in Africa in 2005: two in Somalia, and one in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively. The Ethiopian government’s assault on the independent media saw journalists arrested for treason, while the media in Zimbabwe are still governed by repressive legislation. The Australasia and Pacific region saw some improvements, but a lack of funding and poor communications infrastructure is undermining hopes for the future.

In the Americas, where 11 journalists died, there was progress this year with the removal of some descato ("insult") laws in Chile, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, and a reduction in violent attacks on Venezuelan journalists; however, self-censorship has increased across the region and attacks on journalists in Colombia and Mexico continue. Haiti is now the region’s most dangerous country with three journalists murdered. In the United States, restrictions on access to information and the judicial pursuit of journalists’ sources made it a difficult year for the media.