Reporters Without Borders

PAKISTAN Five key problems for media coverage of February’s legislative elections

9.01.2008 - The 18 February legislative elections are going to be held in a climate of censorship sustained by the permanent threat of fines, closures of news media and arrests of journalists. Reporters Without Borders calls for a series of measures from President Musharraf, including the repeal of two ordinances that gag the media and permission for Geo News, Pakistan’s most popular TV station, to resume broadcasting.

	16.01 - Nepal Local newspaper publisher falls victim to ethnic violence in south

	16.01 - Burma Myanmar Times and other media threatened and sanctioned by military censors

	15.01 - Afghanistan Attacks on civilians condemned after Norwegian journalist killed by Taliban violence in Kabul

	13.01 - Pakistan Concern about situation of foreign journalists after New York Times writer forced to leave

	11.01 - China Hu Jia’s lawyer put under house arrest, foreign journalists prevented from visiting wife and daughter

	31.12 - Philippines Philippines: politician’s bodyguard held as suspect in journalist’s murder


	16.01 - Montenegro : two men get four years in prison for assaulting newspaper editor EU/Russia : European parliament press room named after Anna Politkovskaya - Bahrain : TV programme censored - Canada : panel tightens rules on concentration of media ownership - Italy : Palermo-based journalist’s car vandalised after writing about mafia

Repression continues during preparations for Olympic Games

The repression of dissident movements and ethnic or religious minorities has never stopped in China since the announcement in July 2001 that Beijing was to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Despite some belated objections by the International Olympic Committee, the Chinese authorities harass those who might be tempted to try to “spoil the party.”

	2007
	2006

	10.10.2007 - China A “Journey to the Heart of Internet censorship” on eve of party congress
	24.08.2007 - Sri Lanka "Jaffna’s media in the grip of terror"
	19.07.2006 - Maldives A vibrant media under pressure: an independent assessment of press freedom in the Maldives