Journalism in troubled times: The struggle for press freedom in South Asia 2005-2006 Fourth Annual IFJ Press Freedom Report for South Asia 2005-2006 Contents 3 Foreword 6 Overview 10 Afghanistan: Threats and violence continue 13 Bangladesh: The reign of impunity 16 Bhutan: Silenced and controlled 18 India: Freedom with limits 22 Maldives: Muzzling dissent 25 Nepal: A right royal mess 29 Pakistan: Intimidation and insecurity 34 Sri Lanka: Freedom Erosion of freedoms 39 Specific cases of violations of press freedom (May 2005 – April 2006) Afghanistan Bangladesh India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka FOREWORD By Jacqueline Park, director, IFJ Asia-Pacific. Dangerous and difficult – two words that sum up much of the daily reality for journalists and media workers in South Asia. Journalists often face daily attacks, while those who threaten journalists seem to enjoy impunity from prosecution. This culture of impunity reinforces a media environment that can often be profoundly undemocratic and hostile. In many instances journalists are forced to do their jobs in a climate of fear and intimidation. In the name of tackling terrorism, governments around the region have continued the crack down on democratic rights and press freedom. This is nowhere better illustrated than in the continuing tragedy that is Nepal. Corrupt officials, insurgents, fundamentalists of all religions and gangsters with their own violent methods of silencing truth tellers, continue to strike out at journalists. In this report you will get the full story of press freedom, democratic rights and journalists’ safety in South Asia. Sadly, it details the deaths of too many of our colleagues and records the unspeakable treatment of many others. It documents the declining media freedoms so important for media independence and vital to democracy. At the same time, journalists, media workers and friends of media freedom are fighting back. Here you will find stories of amazing courage and professionalism by our colleagues across the region: journalists in Nepal at the forefront of the opposition to the royal coup, and its clampdown on press freedom and democratic rights; courageous Bangladeshi journalists exposing the corruption that pervades the country despite continuing horrific violence; Indian journalists in conflict prone-Kashmir and the north east facing the ire of both militants and security forces; media persons in Pakistan and Afghanistan resisting religious fundamentalism in the shape of blasphemy laws; in Sri Lanka media workers supporting holistic media reform initiatives in a country ravaged by conflict and more recently, the tsunami. The report is testament to the professional solidarity among journalists in South Asia. The increasing assault on journalists’ rights and press freedom saw the emergence of the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) in Nepal in September 2004. This unprecedented coalition of journalists’ unions and press freedom organizations in South Asia, representing more than 25,000 journalists, is dedicated to building solidarity among journalists’ organizations and other groups in the region. It aims to promote a safer working environment and greater respect for the work of journalists and media workers. This solidarity is based on a shared understanding of the importance of the craft, a commitment to high professional standards, and, at the most basic level, an understanding that journalists need to support each other to do their job in safety. As with the previous years, this report looks at the major challenges to media freedom in the past year and briefly explains trends and specific incidents – both positive and negative. A comprehensive list of cases of media freedom violations and attacks on journalists from May 2005 to April 2006 has also been compiled. This year, we also carry reports from Bhutan and the Maldives – where democratic forces in these tiny nations are struggling for press freedom and challenging autocratic rule. Spotlighting the cases of violence against journalists and press freedom violations plays a valuable role in not only raising awareness of these issues but also in applying pressure to ensure that the perpetrators of these assaults are brought to justice. Governments must respect democratic rights, investigate and follow up every attack and be held accountable when there is official indifference, negligence or, as in some cases, official complicity in attacks on media. It is the duty of the state to provide an environment in which journalists are able to carry out their professional duties without fear of attack and intimidation from state and private parties. Violence and threats foster a climate of fear and insecurity that inhibits independent journalism and can promote self-censorship. Through protest and solidarity actions and the publication of this report, the South Asia Media Solidarity Network stands as a challenge to those that violate press freedom and independent journalism in South Asia. This report has been produced by the International Federation of Journalists on behalf of the SAMSN with the support of IFJ affiliates, journalists and press freedom organisations across South Asia, including: Afghanistan Committee to Protect Afghan Journalists, Kabul Bangladesh Bangladesh Freedom Watch Bangladesh Journalists’ Rights Forum Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum (BMSF: Human Rights Journalists Forum of Bangladesh) Media Watch, Bangladesh Bhutan Association of Press Freedom Activists, Bhutan India All India Newspaper Employees’ Federation Indian Journalists’ Union National Union of Journalists, India Nepal Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) Federation of Nepalese Journalists National Union of Journalists, Nepal Nepal Press Union Pakistan Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Sri Lanka Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Unions Free Media Movement Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association Overview In 2005-2006, South Asia witnessed renewed struggles for democracy and freedom from autocratic rule. Movements where journalists and freedom of expression advocates have been at the vanguard. No where was this more true than in Nepal where King Gyanendra’s last ditch effort to retain absolute power after his take-over on February 1, 2005, galvanised calls from a diverse opposition for complete democracy and press freedom. The freedom of expression situation in Nepal deteriorated significantly, despite the lifting of the emergency at the end of April 2005. Popular protests forced the king to begin to give power back to the political parties by reinstating Parliament as a first step. Intimidation, harassment, attacks and detention of media professionals, particularly in the districts, continue unabated. Private and community FM radio stations bore the brunt of the government’s attempt to prevent independent news from being aired across the geographically challenged country, to a largely non-literate population. Armed police and the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) used excessive force, teargas and batons, and fired indiscriminately at protestors in an attempt to control the recent mass peaceful protests across Nepal, in which several demonstrators were killed and several hundred injured. The winds of democracy were also blowing over the tiny kingdom of Bhutan. An absolute monarchy, there are no private organisations, political parties, social organisations or trade unions. Those who speak out against the government, king or high-profile bureaucrats face imprisonment. A hundred thousand people who were banished from Bhutan while protesting for the right to organise, free speech and culture in 1990, continue to languish as refugees. Recently, Bhutan has been moving towards democracy under the leadership of King Jigme Singye Wangchuk. With the promulgation of a draft constitution in March 2005, there is hope that the freedom of press envisaged within it will become a reality. Associations of young and dynamic journalists in exile are no longer willing to accept the denial of freedom of expression. In the Maldives, the tight rein on the media by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, one of Asia’s longest-ruling heads of state, showed no sign of loosening. President Gayoom’s proposals of February 2005 to introduce political reform cannot address the lack of democracy that arises from denying important democratic values including multi-party democracy, the denial of registration of political parties and civil society groups, and unrelenting suppression of media freedom. Although Fathimath Nisreen and Ahmed Didi of the banned Dhivehi language online publication, Sandhaanu, were released in the past year, Minivan journalist Jennifer Latheef continues to serve a 10-year prison term for her alleged ‘terrorist act’, even as international campaigns mount for her release. The obstacle of centralised authority remains, and political silencing of dissidents continues. On April 18, 2006, Minivan’s sub-editor, Nazim Sattar, was summoned to court and sentenced in what could be the beginning of the end for Maldives’ only opposition daily newspaper. And a day after, Abdullah Saeed (Fahala), another Minivan journalist, was sentenced to life in prison, despite claims that the charges against him are manufactured to gag his independent journalism. Besides its crackdown on print and online publications, the government continues to jam the independent Minivan Radio and broadcasts of a London-based radio station. It also blocks access to 30 websites based abroad. Several journalists, prodemocracy activists and