CAIRO: The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) voiced grave concerns over the high numbers of journalists killed and violated last year in its annual report presented at a press conference at Cairo s Journalists Syndicate Monday. The report, titled 'Attacks on the Press, documents killings and gross violations of journalists worldwide. "Targeted assassinations from Iraq to Russia, the rise of popularly elected autocrats in Latin America, and the erosion of neutral observer status for war correspondents all threatened press freedom in 2006, states the report. Kamal Labidi, speaker and co-author of the report, said that while restrictions on press freedom have increased in several parts of the world, including the Middle East, the high level of awareness and resistance against these restrictions among media workers and the general population 'bring hope'. "At the moment there is a lot of activism in the Middle East, particularly in Cairo, against press restrictions. Journalists working under repressive conditions, such as those in Saudi Arabia and Syria, are revolting and increasingly 'crossing the red line' in their reporting, demonstrating that they are willing to pay high prices for press freedom, Nabihi emphasized. A total of 55 journalists were killed last year in the line of duty across the globe. The report also details a record-setting year of violence in Iraq, where 32 journalists were killed. "Iraq is currently an open area for killings and assassinations of journalists. It is a place that poses serious threats to freedom of expression, Gamal Fahmy, spokesman for the Syndicate, added. Among those killed in Iraq was Atwar Bahjat, a young Iraqi correspondent at news channel Al-Arabiya, whose bullet-riddled body was found outside the town of Samarra in February 2006, where she was covering the bombing of a Shia mosque. As war raged in Lebanon last summer, an Israeli missile killed photographer Layal Najib while she was covering fleeing civilians. Regarding press freedom in the Arab world, Nabihi argued that while there must be more activism in Arab countries, the United States and the European Union must also reclaim their status as strong advocates for democracy building in the Middle East. "The reluctance of the US and the EU to show a stronger interest in bringing democracy to repressive Arab governments with poor human rights records, give these regimes the green light to curb press and media freedom and harass journalists and activists, Labidi told The Daily Star Egypt. In Egypt, the government has considerably tightened its grip on mass media in the past year, according to CPJ. "The recent refusal to allow the publication of an independent newspaper El-Badeil and the arrest of student blogger Kareem Amer for criticizing Islam on his Internet blog are clear signs that the Egyptian authorities aim to control what is said in the press and even among the general population, Labidi continued. The recently amended press law still mandates prison sentences for reporters insulting public officials in the media. Article 308 of the Egyptian penal code imposes a minimum sentence of six months in prison for journalists whose articles "comprise an attack against the dignity and honor of individuals, or an outrage of the reputation of families. And Article 179 calls for the detention of "whoever affronts the president of the republic. Most recently, Howayda Taha, a producer at Al-Jazeera's documentary channel, was arrested at Cairo airport on Jan. 12 en route to Qatar. She was working on a documentary on police torture. All her tapes were confiscated and she was charged with "harming national interest and "fabricating images prejudicial to the country's reputation. While Labidi is worried about the current press conditions in the Arab world, he highlighted the strong activism among activists, NGOs, and grassroots organizations that push for press freedom, as 'strong signs of hope and optimism'. "We have to keep challenging the grip of repressive authorities and continue to raise awareness about democracy, Labidi added. To download the report for free go to http://www.cpj.org/attacks06/pages06/aop06index.html
