CAIRO: Reporters without Borders ranked Egypt at 127 on its annual Press Freedom Index, moving it 16 spots from its 143 ranking last year. The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries based upon Reporters without Borders' assessment of their press freedom records. The 2010 index, published on Oct. 20, measures the violations of press freedom in the world and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom. An otherwise downward trend was noted among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, with Tunisia dropping 10 spots, Morocco and Syria dropping eight spots and Yemen dropping three. The fall in the rankings is mainly attributed to government crackdown on journalists and newspapers in the form of detentions, prison sentences, the use of torture and closing down newspapers. Iran maintained its position at the bottom of the index at 175, slipping three spots from the 2009 ranking. The crackdown on journalists and bloggers which occurred after the disputed reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009 only worsened in 2010. The report also mentioned improvement in some countries. “At first glance, the 2010 index's higher score as compared to that of 2009 seems to translate into gains. However, it is important to emphasize how troubling the situation had been in 2009,” a Reporters without Borders statement read. “In that regard, 2010 actually spells out a return to the pre-existing equilibrium, with no sign of significant progress in these countries.” Israel climbed up 18 spots in the index, going from 150 to 132. While 2010 has seen its share of press freedom violations on the part of the Israeli Army, according to Reporters without Borders who cited the cases of foreign journalists arrested on the flotilla in May 2010, and the Palestinian journalists who are regularly targeted by Tsahal soldiers' bullets, it is “incommensurate with 2009.” Six journalists died, two of whom on the job, and at least three buildings sheltering media professionals were targeted by gunfire in 2009 during Operation Cast Lead, the statement said. The Palestinian Territories also moved up 11 places in the 2010 index, now at 150 instead of last year's 161 spot. Algeria and Iraq also climbed eight and 15 places respectively, citing improved conditions of journalists. There was also a drop in the Gulf, with Bahrain slipping from 119th place to 144th and Kuwait falling 27 places from the 60th to the 87th position. Finland continued to dominate the top spot, followed by Iceland and the Netherlands.
