THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE: PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 The Campaign for Justice PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 1 TWELFTH ANNUAL IFJ PRESS FREEDOM REPORT FOR SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE: PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 CONTENTS THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE: PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 1. Foreword 3 Editor : Laxmi Murthy Special thanks to: 2. Overview 5 Adeel Raza Adnan Rehmat 3. South Asia’s Reign of Impunity 10 Angus Macdonald Bhupen Singh Geeta Seshu 4. Women in Journalism: Rights and Wrongs 14 Geetartha Pathak Jane Worthington 5. Afghanistan: Surviving the Killing Fields 20 Jennifer O’Brien Khairuzzaman Kamal Khpolwak Sapai 6. Bangladesh: Pressing for Accountability 24 Kinley Tshering Parul Sharma 7. Bhutan: Media at the Crossroads 30 Pradip Phanjoubam S.K. Pande Sabina Inderjit 8. India: Wage Board Victory amid Rising Insecurity 34 Saleem Samad Shiva Gaunle 9. The Maldives: The Downward Slide 45 Sujata Madhok Sukumar Muralidharan Sunanda Deshapriya 10. Nepal: Calm after the Storm 49 Sunil Jeyasekara Suvojit Bagchi 11. Pakistan: A Rollercoaster Year 55 Ujjwal Acharya Designed by: Impulsive Creations 12. Sri Lanka: Breakdown of Accountability 66 Images: Photographs are contributed by IFJ Affiliates. Special thanks to AP, AFP, Getty Images 13. Annexure: List of Media Rights Violations, May 2013 to April 2014 76 and The Hindu for their support in contributing images. Images are also accessed under a CreativeCommons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence. Cover Photo: Past students of the Sri Lanka College of Journalism hold a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park, Colombo, on the International Day May 2014 to End Impunity on November 23, 2013. (Photo: This document has been produced by the International Federation of Amila Proboda ) Journalists (IFJ) on behalf of the South Asia Media Solidarity Network This document has been produced with UNESCO (SAMSN). support. The views and contents expressed herein Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association are those of the IFJ and can in no way be taken to All India Newspapers Employees’ Federation reflect the official opinion of UNESCO. Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communications The author will be responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in the paper Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum and for the opinions expressed therein, which Federation of Nepali Journalists will not be necessarily those of UNESCO and do Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka not commit the Organisation, The designations employed and the presentation of material Indian Journalists’ Union throughout this book will not imply the expression Journalist Association of Bhutan of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, Maldives Journalists’ Association city or area, or of its authorities or concerning the Massline Media Centre, Bangladesh delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. National Union of Journalists, India United Nations Educational, National Union of Journalists, Nepal Scientific and Cultural Organization Nepal Press Union United Nations Organisation des Nations Educational, Scientific and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Cultural Organization Unies pour I'éducation la Organisation des Nations Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association science et la culture Unies pour I'éducation la science et la culture 2 THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE: PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 FOREWORD ournalism in South Asia is far from an easy profession, decent working conditions and safety for journalists and a as the 12th annual review of journalism in the region public environment that respects their work. J“The Campaign for Justice: Press Freedom in South Asia 2013-14” portrays. But this year’s report also tells the In 2014, the South Asia Press Freedom Report gives insight story of the courage of South Asia’s journalists to defend into the main concerns of journalist unions in the region press freedom and to ensure citizens’ right to information including safety; freedom of expression; media ownership and freedom of expression in the face of increasing and control; economic impacts on the craft of journalism; challenges to the profession and personal safety. In 2013- changing media models; wages and conditions and, finally, 14, journalists and media in South Asia continued to mourn legal and political developments affecting press freedom untimely losses of colleagues, receive threats by state and across the region. non-state parties, and continued a fight for survival and job security. The year under review in this report (May 2013 to April 2014) is marked by political instability and a weak security There is no doubt that the past ten years have witnessed situation combined with high level of impunity in the cases serious challenges for the practice of journalism in a involving journalists. region that is home to a fifth of humanity, and whose eight countries for all their disparities, share social, economic The failure of authorities to properly investigate attacks and political similarities. The South Asia Media Solidarity on journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice means Network operates as an open platform, building solidarity attackers are in many cases literally getting away with among journalists’ organisations and other groups that murder. This report, for the first time, has a separate promote media freedom, which in turn is critically linked to review of the impunity situation in the region both to Journalists raise slogans during a token hunger strike outside Hyderabad Press Club against the killing of media workers. (Photo: Courtesy PFUJ) 3 THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE: PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 “The failure of authorities to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are fighting with repressive states that have used laws arbitrarily against properly investigate attacks freedom of expression. Nepal is in a state of political on journalists and bring the transition with a new constitution in the making, while Bhutan’s media is still in its infancy, trying to get ahead and perpetrators to justice means face its own challenges. attackers are in many cases literally Sri Lanka government’s attempt to silence journalists getting away with murder.” continued. The government has not only arbitrarily arrested and investigated journalists but has also attempted to draw the attention of the states to the problem and to use stop any international assistance to help journalism. The as a campaign tool to pressure governments to act. The detention of two representatives of the International all-too-infrequent cases of justice delivered to journalists’ Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Asia Pacific office in October murderers have to be upheld as landmark victories, as many 2013 was one such incident. of the cases of targeted killings still await due investigations and the perpetrators remain at large. This year’s report also highlights another pressing issue in the region: gender. The IFJ organised a series of meetings Pakistan remains among the deadliest countries in the across the region to assess the situation of women world for journalists and among the most difficult countries journalists and released a gender report with a conclusion for media due to myriad ongoing conflicts. India, the largest that there is still much work to be done to empower women democracy in the world, has its own problems – more and where they work and make them safer. Last year, the annual more journalists are being subjected to targeted attacks meeting of the IFJ-supported South Asia Media Solidarity and violence, including sexual violence, while those outside Network (SAMSN) also issued its gender charter. troubled areas have to deal with a financial crunch and ongoing wage board implementation problems. Amidst all the difficult times, it has become more important for journalist associations and other organisations working In 2013, Pakistan and India saw targeted killing of 10 and for human rights to remain united in their struggle. The IFJ’s 12 media workers respectively, putting South Asia as the work and SAMSN have become more important than ever second most dangerous region in the world for journalists as a platform for sharing good practices for advocacy and after the Middle East. The first few months of 2014 indicate struggle. This publication, a part of regional solidarity to a bleak trend, with seven media workers already killed in meet the urgent needs for press freedom is prepared by the Pakistan and five in Afghanistan. Pakistan also witnessed IFJ Asia-Pacific with support and inputs from the members two deadly attacks on senior journalists, which they of SAMSN, including IFJ affiliates. survived but the incidents of shooting at the journalists in main streets - and police failing to arrest anyone quickly The IFJ hopes that this report will be beneficial for all boiled down the hopes achieved from punishment handed to continue the struggle for press freedom and form an over to murderers of journalist Wali Babar - the first important advocacy tool to achieve that. instance of punishment to the murderer of a Pakistani journalist. Jacqueline Park Director, IFJ Asia-Pacific 4 THE CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE: PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA 2013-14 OVERVIEW ournalists and their unions in South Asia made several “In India and Pakistan, there are still important breakthroughs in the course of the year. Significant achievements were recorded in terms of the struggles ahead to ensure that the legalJ