From news rooms to parliament we often hear that ‘journalists are the mirror of the society’. But their journey to becoming a mirror to reflect the ugly events of our society is thorny indeed. In order to serve the people journalists have to dig up the truth or story behind the story that people in authority do not want to reveal. Journalists are those who keep the truth alive even in the face of danger. But in order to expose the truth and sift fact from the fiction, journalists face many difficulties in the form of threats and manipulation by various unscrupulous wing of power.
However before delving into the instances of violence against journalist around the world it must be mentioned that the number of countries regarded as safe countries where journalists can work in a proper condition, in complete security, is declining month after month, year after year. According to the world press freedom index 2019, “hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence contributing to an increase in fear”. We have seen that authoritarian regimes are tightening their grip on the media everywhere. However, Reporters Without Borders has rightly termed it as an extremely worrying phenomenon for journalism around the world. It is saddening that information is a right only in theory, but in practice, it is not anymore. Reporters Without Borders states that the people who want to kill or silence journalists are increasingly empowered by political leaders especially in democratic countries. And the truthfulness and authenticity of the statement made by the Reporters Without Borders lies on the incidents that took place in recent time across the world famous democracies.
Comity to Protect Journalist (CPJ) recorded 54 journalists killed in 2018. Already they have recorded nine in 2019. According to the Center for Protection of Journalists (CPJ), at least 1,340 journalists have been killed for their work worldwide since 1992.The CPJ tracks three types of journalist deaths on the job: reprisal murders, deaths in combat, and deaths on dangerous assignment (such as covering a protest). That the committee has enough examples to warrant three categories is a sign that we are experiencing a global crisis of press freedom. Here are some recent incidents of violence against journalist in different parts of the world.
İdris Özyol, journalist, Turkey--On 15 May 2019, Turkish journalist İdris Özyol was assaulted by unidentified men outside his newspaper’s building, Akdeniz'de Yeni Yüzyıl, in Antalya, southwest Turkey. He was hospitalised due to injuries to his head, hands and chest. According to reports, Özyol previously received threats from a local politician, in retaliation to his journalistic work. In a letter addressed to the Turkish President, 20 international media freedom organisations urged him to openly condemn the attacks on journalists and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Azimjon Askarov, journalist, Kyrgyzstan--He has spent nearly nine years in prison for his reporting on human rights violations. Despite international condemnation, Kyrgyz authorities have upheld his life sentence.
Claudia Duque, investigative reporter, Colombia--The veteran reporter endured kidnapping, illegal surveillance, psychological torture, and exile for her work defending human rights. Courts convicted three officers of the Colombian security forces for the torture of Duque and her daughter; several more are on trial.
Rana Ayyub, journalist—India--The outspoken independent journalist has been the target of continual, coordinated harassment by those who disagree with her reporting. The award-winning journalist has spent her career covering taboo subjects, including violence against lower-caste groups and minorities in India. Because of her work, Ayyub has faced a wave of harassment on social media, including pornographic videos with her face photoshopped in them and the publication of her address and personal phone number.
What ties hundreds of thousands of such cases around the world like and like them in the last year alone, is that most of them took place in democratic countries and are linked by implication or by direct association to political leaders and parties. Physical violence against journalists, and against any citizens who use journalistic techniques to document and investigate abuses around them, has become a direct consequence of the new, angry populist politics that targets “elites” and “the mainstream media” as enemies of the people.
A safe and enabling environment for
journalists should be created to allow
them to work independently
and without unjustified intrusion
Authoritarian leaders and others do not only turn upon critical media from vanity. It is also because they know that to silence journalists is to silence the voices of all those who speak through the media, or who might be tempted to speak in future. Courageous journalists are often among the few forces defending democracy or at least offering some check on power: the people to whom citizens turn when police and courts and political institutions fail them; the people who can inform citizens of what is really happening.
The situation of violence against journalist is not so much different in Bangladesh from around the world. The safety and security for journalists in the country are on the wane. According to recent report of this daily, a total of 14 professional journalists have so far been killed in the last 18 years only in the south-eastern part of the country. What is more disgracing is that none of the killers have been managed to award punishments as yet.
Reportedly, Bangladesh has catalogued cases involving abuses and episodes of violence against journalists in the recent decades. In most of the cases, the reporters who were killed and murdered haven’t been found, that is to say a culture of impunity seems to have prevailed. We may not have a high number of killings of journalists, but in terms of threat and physical assault, no doubt we remain in a state of concern. As no significant progress has been observed in any of these cases, the prevailing situation gives the perpetrators a green signal to carry on the crime.
Over the last years, the ground and impact of journalism, with the innovation and intervention of technology, has expanded at a rapid pace. Consequently manipulation over the journalists is pushing them towards suppression, sometimes ideologically, sometimes morally. And those newsmen who try to be vocal about the truth are often seen being harassed, murdered and slaughtered. Thus journalism is increasingly becoming a risky profession and eventually journalists tend to refrain from reporting on sensitive issues.
We condemn all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers. We urge the government to prevent violence against them, ensure accountability, bring to justice the perpetrators and ensure victims have access to appropriate remedies. A safe and enabling environment for journalists should be created to allow them to work independently and without unjustified interference.
Sayeed Hossain Shuvro is Editorial Assistant Bangladesh Post.
