Ukraine is blacklisted by ’Reporters without frontiers’ for the second time on end.
13.12.2002 source: Іnstitut masovoi іnformacіi
For the second time Ukraine is mentioned in the report of ’Reporters without frontiers’ in the list of seven European countries, where journalists were murdered in 2001. The article presents a survey of the report of ’Reporters without frontiers’.
For the second time Ukraine is mentioned in the report of ’Reporters without frontiers’ in the list of seven European countries, where journalists were murdered in 2001.
This time Igor Aleksandrov is meant, whose brutal murder secured Ukraine a place side by side with such countries as North Ireland, Kossovo and the country of Basques.
The total sum up of the report is that the freedom of the press is deteriorating throughout the world. In most statistical indicators 2001 appeared to be much worse than the previous year. The only exception among the indicators is the number of murdered journalists, which is one less.
The freedom of the press in figures:
Murdered journalists: 31 (2001), 32 (2000); arrested journalists: 489 (2001), 329 (2000); threats and violence: 716 (2001), 510 (2000); acts of censorship: 378 (2001), 295 (2000); condemned journalists: 110 (by 2 January 2002), 77 (by 4 January 2001).
The dry statistics of the report testifies that the number of the arrested journalists grew by 50% during the year; the number of journalists, who became victims of threats and violence, grew by 40%.
For the first time during recent years in 2001 the cases of violating the freedom of the press were observed in the countries of stable democracy. This was a consequence of the terrorist act of 11 September and the consecutive anti-terrorist operation for the most mass media of the USA, Canada and Great Britain.
The tendency of the enhanced control over foreign journalists appeared in some countries. This tendency is observed in China, Saudi Arabia, Burma, North Korea and Vietnam.
The other dangerous tendency observed in many countries is the impunity of the crimes committed against journalists. The criminal investigations of the cases on murdered journalists are completed, as a rule, without any results, the organizers of these crimes remain unfound and unpunished. Ukraine also got into the list of such countries. The helplessness of the General Prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Interior in Gongadze’s case forced the Council of Europe to approve the recommendations for carrying out the independent investigation with the participation of foreign experts.
This time Igor Aleksandrov is meant, whose brutal murder secured Ukraine a place side by side with such countries as North Ireland, Kossovo and the country of Basques.
The total sum up of the report is that the freedom of the press is deteriorating throughout the world. In most statistical indicators 2001 appeared to be much worse than the previous year. The only exception among the indicators is the number of murdered journalists, which is one less.
The freedom of the press in figures:
Murdered journalists: 31 (2001), 32 (2000); arrested journalists: 489 (2001), 329 (2000); threats and violence: 716 (2001), 510 (2000); acts of censorship: 378 (2001), 295 (2000); condemned journalists: 110 (by 2 January 2002), 77 (by 4 January 2001).
The dry statistics of the report testifies that the number of the arrested journalists grew by 50% during the year; the number of journalists, who became victims of threats and violence, grew by 40%.
For the first time during recent years in 2001 the cases of violating the freedom of the press were observed in the countries of stable democracy. This was a consequence of the terrorist act of 11 September and the consecutive anti-terrorist operation for the most mass media of the USA, Canada and Great Britain.
The tendency of the enhanced control over foreign journalists appeared in some countries. This tendency is observed in China, Saudi Arabia, Burma, North Korea and Vietnam.
The other dangerous tendency observed in many countries is the impunity of the crimes committed against journalists. The criminal investigations of the cases on murdered journalists are completed, as a rule, without any results, the organizers of these crimes remain unfound and unpunished. Ukraine also got into the list of such countries. The helplessness of the General Prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Interior in Gongadze’s case forced the Council of Europe to approve the recommendations for carrying out the independent investigation with the participation of foreign experts.