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Thirty-nine predators against freedom of the press

by Reporters Without Borders

Reporters without Borders (RSF - Reporters sans Frontihres) has published its new list of predators against press freedom. After having revealed on 3 May 2001 a list of thirty-one predators, RSF adds eight new names:

The Palestinian Authority Security Forces. They have arbitrarily questioned or detained several journalists who were critical of the Palestinian Authority. These foreign reporters, some Israeli, run risks if they wish to go to territories controlled by the Palestinian Authorities. Some international media correspondents were prevented from covering celebrations after the 11 September terrorist attacks.

Joynal Hazari, Bangladeshi politician of the Awami League. Once again selected by his party for the 2001 elections, this former parliament member, involved in arms smuggling, ordered several attacks against journalists.

Issaias Afeworki, Eritrea's president. Since the 18 September 2001, Eritrea is the only African country where private press no longer exists.

Shaul Moffaz, Israeli army Chief of Staff. Since the beginning of the second Intifada, more than 30 journalists have been wounded, sometimes seriously, by Tsahal gunshots.

Mahatir Mohamad, Malaysian prime minister. The government has changed the press law and the interior security law to restrict the opposition press. Some international magazines are banned.

Msawti III, king of Swaziland. All criticism directed against monarchy is banned and the use of censorship is frequent. The king has issued decrees allowing him to ban any publication without justification.

Gnassingbi Eyadima, president of Togo. The oldest African president, he accepts no criticism. A journalist was sentenced recently to eighteen months' imprisonment and numerous newspapers have been seized.

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean president. The independent press and foreign reporters are the government's target: some lists of journalists to "kill" are circulated among followers of Mr Mugabe, and eight media professionals were arrested in August 2001.

Many people are responsible for these press violations: presidents, ministers, public prosecutors, heads of state, Revolutionary Guides or simply army officers, they have the right to jail, kidnap, torture and, in the worst cases, kill journalists. Since these predators have names and faces, we must know them to better denounce them. Reporters without Borders has decided to draw their portraits.

In addition to eight new names, we see Mullah Mohammad Omar (Afghanistan), Eduardo dos Santos (Angola), Alexander Lukashenka (Belarus), Frangois Compaori (Burkina Faso), Than Shwe (Burma), The Kidnapping Mafia (Chechnya), Jiang Zemin (China), Carlos Castaqo (Colombia), Manuel Marulanda and Nicolas Rodrmguez Bautista (Colombia), Fidel Castro (Cuba), Joseph Kabila (Democratic Republic of Congo), Teodoro Obiang Nguema (Equatorial Guinea), Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia), Ali Khamenei (Iran), Saddam Hussein (Iraq), Kirsan Iliumjinov (Kalmykia Republic -Russian Federation), Khamtai Siphandon (Laos), Moammar Gadhafi (Libya), Kim Jong-il (North Korea), Vladimir Putin (Russia), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Fahd ibn al-Saud (Saudi Arabia), ETA (Spain), Bashar el-Assad (Syria), Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisia), Huseyin Kivrikoglu (Turkey), Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenistan), Leonid Kuchma (Ukraine), Islam Karimov (Uzbekistan), Nong Duc Manh (Vietnam).

Since the publication of the first list last May, some predators have intensified their repression. In Tunisia, President Ben Ali jailed journalist Sihem Bensedrine for six weeks. The Taliban supreme chief, Mullah Omar, banned the Internet. Chinese President Jiang Zemin jailed more than ten dissidents. In Cuba, Fidel Castro jailed a cyber-dissident. In Russia, President Putin took control of national media. Finally, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, security services arrested some ten journalists in the past four months.

Several of these predators have ordered murders of journalists. They have never been implicated by the justice. This is why Reporters Without Borders created the Damocles network, set up to struggle against past and present predators to prevent them from living in peace in their country or outside. Dictators must be responsible for their crimes, and face international justice. It is time to put an end to their impunity.