A Year of Early Onset Violence against Journalists - Essay Example

The year is off to a swift start, but not in a good way. This early in the year and already the Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded eight confirmed cases of journalists killed. While five cases of journalists’ death remain unconfirmed hitherto. All cases are within the months of January and February alone (“Journalists Killed in 2009: 8 Confirmed”). Proving once again that this year is no better or less dangerous to be a journalist. Every year the story seems to be the same. As repetitive and redundant as the news they bring, a number of journalists suffer the same fate regardless of their geographic location. No one seems to be protected and the number of victims of violence, and in so many cases murder continues every year. This calendar year is no different and so will the forthcoming years unless actions will be done, both locally and on a global level. The following stories are just some of the many that remain prevalent in so many countries. And to think that all are well within barely two months after the ‘ball dropped’ so to speak on the New Year. One cannot help but be appalled and flabbergasted as to the number and parallelism of these stories. Indeed, no good deed remains unpunished. Maybe there is much truth in what Pablo Neruda refers to as, “the whore freedom, the land with no overcoat” (“Injustice”). 2009: A Year of Early Onset Violence against Journalists (CPJ) The list begins with Basil Ibrahim Faraj, a cameraman of the Palestinian Media and Communication Company who was killed last January 7, 2009 in Gaza. Faraj and company’s car was not the target but was caught in between the attack. Ando Ratovonirina from Madagascar was working for Radio Télévision Analamanga (RTA), witnesses claim he was shot by presidential guards, nonetheless, while in a demonstration against the administration in Antananarivo covering the story. The Associated Press (AP) reports 167 injured and 25 killed in the incident. Another radio and newspaper reporter, Uma Singh, was attacked by 15 people who stabbed Singh to death last January 11 in Janakpur, Nepal. Local journalists and other groups believe that those with motive for the murder include Maoist workers who she openly condemns for her father and brother’s kidnapping and murder back in 2006. Freelance correspondent and ‘Novaya Gazeta’ contributor Anastasiya Baburova was shot and killed by someone in a ski mask last January 19. She was with Stanislav Markelov, a human rights lawyer after the latter had just given a press conference. The attacker shot at Markelov execution-style according to reports in the prosecutor-generals office. Apparently, Baburova attempted to stop the assailant when she herself was fired at. She is the fourth journalist affiliated with the paper to be killed since the year 2000 (“Journalists Killed in 2009: 8 Confirmed”). Somalia and Sri Lanka both mark the highest number of killed journalist according to the report with two dreadful murders each this year. A soldier reportedly shot Hassan Mayow Hassan twice after a heated argument between him and two soldiers. They allegedly stopped Hassan, a radio correspondent and started reproving him for his supposed connection to Islamic insurgents. This subsequently led one of the two to fire at him, according to Somalian journalists’ sources. Hassan is known for his reports on humanitarian dilemmas and for criticizing harassments committed to civilians by military officers. ‘HornAfrik’ director Said Tahlil Ahmed died of multiple gunshot wounds after gunmen in masks assaulted him while walking in the Bakara Market in Mogadishu, the country’s capital. The group convened with militant group Al-Shabaab for what the group claims as unfair coverage of the presidential election that Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed won. The group felt the new president is nothing but a dummy leader and decided to confront the media men about their stories. The others survived but Tahlil was the most unfortunate among the group and died immediately after sustaining gunshots. Members of Al-Shabaab deny their involvement in the violence (“Journalists Killed in 2009: 8 Confirmed”). On January 8, Lasantha Wickramatunga, a well-known Sri Lankan journalist and editor-in-chief of the ‘Sunday Leader’ was driving on his way to work when he was gunned down. Wickramatunga’s weekly publication is known for its anti-administration stance. The paper just recently published an editorial accusing President Mahinda Rajapaksa of amplifying the war with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LLTE), a secessionist group, in hopes of grappling on to the presidency. A loud supporter of the LLTE on the other hand, Puniyamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy was slain in an artillery barrage last February 12 while in a neutral area the Sri Lankan army proscribed. Other journalists maintain Sathiyamoorthy observed proper journalism ethics in his reports and presents an accurate description of the war situations currently happening in the country. What most likely threatened those who were attacked by Sathiyamoorthy in his writings was that his articles has expounded globally to Tamils abroad. Interestingly, his name ‘Sathyamoorthy’ literally translates to ‘manifestation of truth’ (“Journalists Killed in 2009: 8 Confirmed”). Five More Remains Unconfirmed Other than the previous eight cases, five more victims of violence against journalists remain unconfirmed. These deaths are believed to be acted upon in relation to their profession but authorities are yet to establish motive and substantial evidence to either confirm or deny. All of the five murders and cases took place between January 5 and February 18 of this year as with the former. Francis Nyaruri writes for Kenya’s ‘Weekly Citizen’ under the pen name Mong’are Mokua, he has been missing since January 15 when his mangled body was recovered after two weeks on January 29. His body showed signs of struggle as his hands were tied and there were marking on his back. Preceding the incident, Nyaruri wrote articles exposing corruption within the police bureau. Colleagues said that police officers had been threatening him regarding his write-ups. Another incriminating fact was that the police did not release any information regarding the writer’s disappearance regardless of the family’s plea (“Total Unconfirmed Cases for 2009: 5”). Philippine radio commentator Badrobin Abbas was driving when two men in motorcycles shot him several times in the head. Reports confirmed that the actual murder was captured through a closed-circuit video camera. The video is in possession of the local police. Reports meanwhile cannot confirm whether the murder was just a case of mistaken identity or whether it really was in relation to his work. Abbas is recognized for his commentaries regarding the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which was halted October last year (“Total Unconfirmed Cases for 2009: 5”). Two days prior to the death of Musa Khankhel, a truce was called between militant groups and the Pakistani government. His death, while in a peace march with Sufi Muhammad, a Muslim cleric, was in direct violation of the said respite. Muhammad was looking to enlist his son-in-law, Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah, to recognize the ceasefire agreement he had worked up with the government. Khankhel reportedly split from his reporting team according to Geo TV Managing Director Azhar Abbas and went missing and finally found dead. To this date, the motive for the murder remains unclear (“Total Unconfirmed Cases for 2009: 5”). Russian editor for RIA 51 Shafig Amrakhov fought for his life for a week before succumbing to death after an unidentified gunman shot him last December 30, 2008. Amrakhov remained conscious after the attack and was brought to a hospital after sustaining multiple head shot wounds. After the surgery however, he slipped into a coma before finally flat lining last January 5. Police are currently convinced the attack has nothing to do with his profession but rather just an attempt to threaten him regarding his other activities but the intimidation had gone awry (“Total Unconfirmed Cases for 2009: 5”). Finally, as with the other victims, an assailant in a motorcycle, shot and killed Venezuelan director for ‘ABC de la Semana’ and ‘Radio América’ Orel Sambrano in Valencia in front of a video store. He was on his way home from ‘Radio América’ when he was shot from the back. Also a lawyer, Sambrano has been working for the political commentary shows and is renowned for his investigative reports and columns regarding local politics. He was responsible for covering the story of a family charged for drug trafficking. His colleagues firmly believe he was murdered in retribution for this hard-hitting commentary (“Total Unconfirmed Cases for 2009: 5”). Statistics of Violence Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that a staggering 722 journalist were killed from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 2008. The top 20 countries with the most number of journalists killed in order are: (1)Iraq with 136 deaths, (2)Algeria, (3)Russia, (4)Colombia, (5)Philippines, (6)India, (7)Somalia, (8)Pakistan, (9)Bosnia & Turkey, (11)Afghanistan, (12) Rwanda , Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Brazil & Sri Lanka, (17)Mexico, (18)Bangladesh, (19)Israel, (20) Angola, Cambodia, Georgia & Yugoslavia (“Journalists Killed”). The types of death was also classified into four, namely, (1) Murder, (2) Crossfire/Combat related, (3) During other dangerous assignment and (4) Undetermined. Murder topped with 72.4% of the deaths, followed by Crossfire or combat related with 17.3%, During other dangerous assignment at 10.1% and finally, Undetermined causes at 0.2% of the statistics (“Journalists Killed”). The study also organizes between the types of media the killed journalists belonged to. Among the four categories the Print media is at an overwhelm 56.8%, more than half of the total 722 deaths, this consists of newspapers, magazines, etc. while television is at second with 26.9%, at third is radio with 19.4% and with 1.8% for Internet associated journalists (“Journalists Killed”). The percentage of the perpetrators who get away with their crimes is also astounding. A stunning 88.8% evade any charges and thus gain complete impunity while 6.5% obtain partial justice and a mere 4.7% achieve full justice. Out of all the incidents, 28.7% have been gravely threatened before being murdered while 18.4% were abducted first before their bodies are found lifeless (“Journalists Killed”). Iraq: A Journalist’s Graveyard When war broke out in Iraq after President George W. Bush decided to search for refuted weapons of mass destruction, no one knew the catastrophe that was to befall not only among the soldiers, the citizens but also to the journalists covering the war and all that comes along with it and the territory. The article aptly titled, “Three Years of Slaughter in Iraq,” cites the country to be the deadliest place in history in comparison to the era of the second World War for any journalist working in the country for assignment. The total number of journalists killed in Iraq is higher than all of those killed within the 20 years of Vietnam War combined. It is also the highest in terms of hostages with 38 journalists who were kidnapped in the span of three years, from 2003 to 2006. Five of these abductees were executed in cold blood by the captors (“Three years of slaughter in Iraq”). The first journalist to suffer death in the journalist graveyard that is Iraq was an Australian cameraman named Paul Moran who works for ABC television. He died on the dawn of the war on March 22, 2003 when a car bomb blew off in front of him. Following that, 11 others died between the months of March and April within the same year. In 2005 alone, 28 were killed while covering the war. More often than not, at least one media professional gets killed every month (“Three years of slaughter in Iraq”). Dead journalists in Iraq have become a common occurrence they have are now desensitized by the notion and the idea of death within the commiserating ablution of journalists in Iraq. Journalist Safety in Times of Conflict In an effort to resolve or at the very least minimize the number of journalist victims who suffer in times of conflict, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released an article in time for World Press Freedom Day 2007 to answer queries regarding journalists and conflicts. Suffice to say that violent conflicts pose a great danger among journalists in comparison to covering a routine beat. Information may just be the most important thing for a journalist and the circumstance wherein one gets it is no excused for the perseverance to attain the story. Those who are involved in the exchange of fire must remember that “attacks against journalists and media equipment are illegal under international humanitarian law, which protects civilian persons and objects, as long as they are not making an effective contribution to military action” (“Safety of Journalists”). More recently, wars within Somalia and Lebanon become another battleground for journalists. Technically speaking, all journalists stationed in war zones are considered to be civilians, which in turn can provoke those with the propensity to hurt. This can at times lead to murderous activities by these people. These times do not come with a safety guarantee. The military, in Iraq for example, must be willing to investigate the deaths of journalists whether or not it is unintentional (“Safety of Journalists”). All must agree that to a journalist, danger becomes an appendage to everyday life. It is one of the hazards of the job that one must live with to be able to bring the news to those who seek the truth. These perils vary, from car bombs to resolute conflict to kidnapping in war-torn countries. To political fear insinuated in one’s very own locality by goons and their guns and the money and political will that runs the entire charade. Responsible Reporting and Self-Responsibility The truth is the truth, stories are stories. But on a humanist viewpoint, there is not one story that is more important than a human life. Careless reporting and unverified news stories are inexcusable and can arouse personal hate. In the same way that it is always important to stick to the guidelines set forth in an armed conflict. Not everything that glitters is gold and not all smoke should be assumed as fire. This is particular is pertaining to following ones nose for news. When you play with fire you will get burned. Oftentimes it can only lead to disaster. If it will cause a person his own life, I would argue it’s not worth it at all, unless of course it should emancipate more. With the recent technologies that is available to everyone. The dynamics are now more interactive. People now have access to what is happening in countries where there is conflict. They also acquire information through varied means and in the same sense proliferates these information rapidly. We do not only speculate what Iraq at war looks like. We see it on the television, on the internet. We hear and we perceive what an IUD looks like. How a car bomb explodes in front of civilians and of soldiers. But behind that picture or that video are those who bring you the stories. They try to transport you as close as possible to the action and to the reality of it all at their own risk. As a journalist principle goes, you are there to deliver the story but ultimately it is up to the people and to the government to do what should be done. They do not have the capacity to help out each and every individual they come across with. That is why it is media. They are the ones that connect everyone. But they can only do so much. Acting upon it still relies upon the shoulders of those who are responsible and to those who have the capacity. The question now remains, who is responsible for these media professionals? The answer is first and foremost, them. It is upon them to be responsible for others and be responsible for themselves at the same time. But this does not mean there can be no participation from others beside themselves. Injustices can happen to them too and oftentimes to a graver extent than what one can be prepared of. Freedom of the press can at times be not free at all. It can be expensive, and some pay with their lives. Bibliography Committee to Protect Journalists. Journalists Killed. n.d. 2 Mar. 2009 . Neruda, Pablo . "Injustice." 27 Feb. 2009 . "Journalists Killed." Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ. 3 Mar. 2009 . "Safety of Journalists." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization . 2007. UNESCO. 1 Mar. 2009 . "Three Years of Slaughter in Iraq." Reporters Without Borders for Press Freedom. 2006. 3 Mar. 2009 . "Total Unconfirmed Cases for 2009." Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ. 3 Mar. 2009 . Read More