The past year has been a difficult one for journalists in many countries of the Commonwealth. The main areas of concern remain freedom of information legislation, criminal defamation and the physical safety of journalists.

ASIA
In some Asian countries, violence and even the killing of journalists have become so common they are dealt with by authorities as lesser crimes or, occasionly, ignored.?

Bangladesh, and Pakistan are typical examples of this unnerving phenomenon. In both these countries, journalists regularly take to the streets urging the government to stop the killings and to bring those responsible to justice. Local journalists are well aware that any report vaguely critical or which exposes crimes endangers their own lives and that of their families. The authorities, however, have mostly ignored these pleas.

Bangladesh in particular has seen an increase in attacks against the press by members of radical Islamist groups in recent years.

In Pakistan, where four journalists were killed this year, many press freedom organisations have been concerned about the disappearance of journalists. In numerous cases this year, the authorities, in some cases for months, abducted journalists without informing anyone of their whereabouts or the reason for their abduction.

In Singapore the government has been fighting for many years against Internet dissent. In an extremely sophisticated technological society, where most media is under the direct control of the government, people are increasingly turning to the Internet to find alternative points of views. Singapore has already prohibited "videocasting" and "podcasting," which were used by the opposition party as alternative methods of publicising political statements. In Singapore, speaking in public without a police license is a criminal offence.?

Worryingly, this year the government proposed amendments to the Penal Code broadening the scope of criminal defamation to include statements posted on the Internet.? Groups concerned with press freedom believe that the proposed outcome would be an even stronger instrument in the hands of the government to censor internet content.

Ongoing internal conflict in Sri Lanka has made the media the targets of one or more of the factions. In Sri Lanka's Sinhala, Tamil and English-speaking media, each of these groups has encountered its own problems in attempting to cover the reawakened conflict; however, the media sector suffering the most are Sri Lanka's Tamil media, who are often reporting in the actual areas of conflict. Problems in reporting, distribution and access to newsprint have brought many Tamil papers to their knees. The murder of a young Tamil journalist in Jaffna on 30 April brought the year to a sad end.

AFRICA
The past year saw an increase in the number of assaults and attacks on journalists throughout the African sub-Saharan region. The authorities or their proxies carried many of these assaults out, and the violence was often a precursor to arrests and detentions.

It is also significant that many of these attacks occurred in media environments where there are serious tensions between the media and the government. Such tensions have led to increasingly vitriolic language from politicians and these comments have only further exacerbated the media's problems. One of the failings of governments in these countries is their inability to see the connection between their own fiery language and its possible role in inciting the actions of others, particularly the police.

Kenya and Nigeria both reveal media environments where there is a growing disrespect for journalists and a willingness on the part of the authorities to act in a violent manner when confronting them. The attitude of these governments displays a distinct dislike of criticism and is also the sign of a lack of political maturity.

Uganda generally boasts a diverse, sophisticated, and relatively free press, but during the campaign last year authorities set new restrictions on foreign journalists, expelled a prominent foreign correspondent, harassed radio stations airing opposition views, and pursued criminal charges against several journalists. Self-censorship was widespread,

In October, the long-standing editor-in-chief and CEO of New Vision, resigned from his position after more than 20 years at the paper. Although the official line was that he was pursuing other interests, the news raised concerns that New Vision would take a stronger pro-government slant. Since then, the government has closed down an independent television station and the tension continues between government and media.

In Nigeria, Omololu Falobi, the founder and director of Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) and a former features editor of The Punch newspaper, was murdered by gunmen on 5 October. Falobi was killed when leaving the office in his car. Police received a message about the incident shortly after his murder.

Elsewhere, there are concerns about the use of broadcasting by African governments. In South Africa, a commission was set-up to investigate the existence of an alleged "blacklist" at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). According to news reports, the SABC had created a list of political commentators that have made critical statements of President Thabo Mbeki's presidency and carried instructions not to use them when reporting on certain topics. The final report was judged to be so sensitive that only the summary and the findings were made public.

Gambia is in danger of becoming a pariah state due to the determination of its president to remain in power and refusal to listen to either the people or the international community. One of the most worrying aspects of the numerous arrests and detentions was the blatant disregard for the rule of law. Police officers have ignored the need to present detainees before the courts and, on occasion, they have even denied that they are holding the journalist. Such wilful refusal to heed the law has made it impossible for lawyers and human rights activists to free the journalists.

Zimbabwe, although no longer officially in the Commonwealth but of great concern to all of us, is perhaps the worst country in the region as it continues to use every means possible to suppress the media.

AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA
The main concern for journalists in this region in 2006 was freedom of information. Several attempts were made to improve existing regulations, or simply to implement legislation guaranteeing this freedom in various parts of the region.

However, progress here and in the media environment in general was hindered, or in some countries regressed, due to the political upheaval that the region experienced over the last twelve months. Inevitably, this upheaval had an impact on the media environment.

Calls to legislate in favour of freedom of information were heard in August from Iosefa Maiava, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, who pointed out that only two of the Forum's 16 members actually have laws guaranteeing access to information. Many of the other countries offer their citizens some level of constitutional protection for freedom of information or freedom of the press.

Alarmingly, however, certain countries, namely the Cook Islands, Nauru, Samoa and Vanuatu, offer no such protection whatsoever. The situation in the Cook Islands may actually worsen in the year to come, given attempts to introduce a Bill into parliament placing more restrictions on the activities of the press and introducing disclosure laws. In Samoa, one can still be imprisoned for refusing to reveal sources. Although there were moves this year to campaign for a relaxation of this stringent law.

Vanuatu debated the issue more than anywhere else in the region with seminars and workshops arranged by the local media organisation MAV in conjunction with Transparency International. The result was an admission by ministers that they may be willing to introduce legislation ensuring freedom of information, although this legislation may be tailored to a Pacific island model, rather than in imitation of the legislation in Australia or New Zealand.

The strong cultural and tribal influences on society and its lawmakers make it difficult to legislate for freedom of information and Vanuatu is just one example of where the arguments against such laws are founded on their effect on the honour system tacitly in place between the nation's communities and individuals.

However, it was the political change and social unrest that brought the region to the attention of the international media in 2006.

The biggest news story of the year was the coup in Fiji in early December, which made headlines worldwide. The coup came as no surprise to most; it had been predicted as early as January in certain parts of the New Zealand press and the coup's leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, had been threatening the government before the national elections in March. Finally, on 3 December, the military removed Prime Minister Qarase from power with Bainimarama assuming power in the country.

In Fiji in the days and weeks following the coup, the constitutionally protected right to free speech was suspended, and the main television and radio stations had restrictions placed on the content of their reporting, as did local newspapers. Those who refused to comply received violent threats from the military and had soldiers stationed at their premises; moves which were condemned by international press freedom organisations. Although Fiji's coup was bloodless, this was not true of unrest elsewhere in the region.

Tonga has long been a concern of press freedom advocates; its media is largely controlled by the state, which in turn is largely controlled by the monarchy. This has not always been well received by the country's comparatively well-educated population. A power shift looked to be the precursor to positive change early in the year. This came with the resignation of Prime Minister 'Aho'eitu, followed by the installation of Feleti Sevele, who became the first layman to take office in the country's history. However, by the time parliament had been dissolved for its winter break in November, little had changed and resentment inside the pro-democracy movement had reached breaking point.

A night of violent rioting in the country's capital, Nuku'alofa, on 16 November resulted in eight deaths, as well as the deployment of Australian and New Zealand troops on the streets. Following the rioting, the new King, George V, promised elections that would be more democratic in nature in March 2008. Unfortunately, the violence gave the authorities an excuse to tighten their grip on basic human freedoms.

Earlier in the year, the Solomon Islands witnessed the worst rioting seen in its capital, Honiara, for years. The violence had been sparked by the election of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, although simmering ethnic tensions formed the basis of the riots. Prime Minister Rini resigned soon after the rioting. Once again, Australian and New Zealand military forces arrived in the country to maintain the peace.

A state of emergency was also introduced in one part of Papua New Guinea following allegations of mismanagement by local government, leading to press restrictions in the area. In Tuvalu elections brought change, whereas the status quo was retained following elections in Samoa.

Radio is still the main way of informing citizens in remote atolls of events in the rest of the country. Broadcasts are normally funded by a state, which cannot always ensure comprehensive service to everyone. Such problems sometimes leave islanders without any radio coverage.

In terms of the printed press, some progress was made in certain countries. Nevertheless, relatively low literacy rates, plus difficulties in distribution, mean that newspaper circulation remains generally low. New Internet sources for information on Pacific island countries continue to emerge. Most of these sources are, however, run from outside the country, and their impact remains to be assessed.

CARIBBEAN
In St. Lucia, there was a rare victory for media freedom when the government withdrew a law that had threatened journalists with jail terms if found guilty of spreading information deemed to be false or damaging to the public interest. Commenting on the repeal of Section 361, Guy Ellis, editor of the St. Lucia Mirror newspaper, saw the influence of an October judgement by the British Privy Council, which ruled for the first time that journalists had the right to publish allegations about public figures, so long as they were responsible and what they reported was "in the public interest".

Guyana also gave cause for concern, following two deadly attacks that cost the lives of six media workers. Ronald Waddell, whose television talk show had been taken off the air at the end of the previous year because of government complaints, was shot dead in January. Later in the year, five Kaieteur News pressroom workers were shot dead by a group of unidentified masked men. The attack did not seem to have been related to the newspaper's work, but it still instilled fear among media workers in the country. The government's decision to withdraw advertising from the Stabroek News raised concerns over

In many of the smaller island nations, the most contentious issues revolved around governments' reactions to negative media coverage, and the authorities' threats to regulate radio stations if their talk shows continued to air the libellous and insulting views of telephone callers. Often these tensions came to nothing but in some cases, the repercussions put individual journalists in danger, and sent an intimidating message to their colleagues.

In Antigua and Barbuda, Lennox Linton, the manager of the Observer Radio station faces trial on charges of making a defamatory statement about the director of public prosecutions on air. In the Bahamas, the immigration authorities announced they had deferred the granting of a further work permit to John Marquis, the managing editor of the Tribune newspaper and a British citizen, pending an inquiry into the newspaper's arrangements for replacing him with a Bahamian citizen In March, George Worme, editor of the weekly Grenada Today, was briefly detained by policemen as part of investigations into a criminal libel matter in connection with an article published in his newspaper. The incident contributed to continuing fears about the government's recourse to the courts to intimidate the media.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the publishers of the Mirror weekly newspaper were ordered to pay a government minister US$ 65,800 in libel damages. Addressing colleagues on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, Dale Enoch, the president of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), stated that criminal defamation remained on the statute books of most states in the region, and broadcast media liberalisation was, he said, being accompanied by "anachronistic notions of information control and blatant attempts at censorship."

There was little progress with efforts to persuade Caribbean governments to pass freedom of information (FOI) legislation. The issue was discussed at a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting with parliamentarians, public officials, media, and civil society representatives, held in Dominica in October. Participants noted that of the Caribbean island nations, only Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, have so far enacted FOI laws.

Listed below are some of the press freedom issues that have made headlines in 2006/07:

MAY 2006
Botswana paper threatened with reporting ban
Court reverses Swazi paper's massive defamation costs
Bangladeshi journalists flee after death threats
Kenyan minister would raid media again
Arsonists attack second Maltese journalist
Ex-president's son charged in Mozambique journalist murder
Maldives press freedom bill slammed
Tamil journalist resignation warning condemned

JUNE 2006
Nigerian journalist arrested over presidential jet story
Gambia halts freedom of expression forum prior to AU summit
State regulation of media returns to Sri Lanka
Abducted Pakistani journalist found dead
Indian journalist stoned to death
Torture pictures of Gambian journalist revealed
Violence against Bangladesh journalists continues

JULY 2006
Maldivian journalist released after three months
Weekly magazine bombed in Bangladesh
Abducted Sri Lankan journalist found murdered
Another journalist goes missing in Pakistan
Gambian journalists arrested

AUGUST 2006
Pakistani reporter assaulted after critical report
Four print plant workers murdered in Guyana
South African editor voices censorship worries
Zanzibar strips editor of Tanzanian nationality
Contempt charges loom for Australian journalists as ethics code dismissed

SEPTEMBER 2006
Tamil Tigers accused of targeting media in attack
Journalist killed in drive-by shooting
Kenyan photographer roughed up over limo shots
Cameroon editor detained by military
High Court FoI decision rocks Australian media

OCTOBER 2006
Poision suspected in Indian journalist's death
Paramilitaries burn 20,000 Tamil papers
Uganda, Cameroon plummet in press freedom rankings
Standard raid aimed at stopping Kibaki family story, says Kenyan MP
Murder charges against Pakistani journalist dropped
South Africa backs down on media bill
Former Punch journalist murdered in Lagos
Air India journalist awarded PEN prize

NOVEMBER 2006
Bangladeshi journalists face wave of violence, threats
Pakistani reporter kidnapped and questioned
Sri Lankan security accused of harassing Tamil journalists
Journalists expelled, cartoonist arrested in Maldives
PPI bureau chief murdered
Minister threatens sanctions over Nigerian crash coverage

DECEMBER 2006
Sri Lankan journalists questioned under new anti-terror laws
Malaysian editors ordered to downplay news
Fiji Daily Post editor to be deported
Human rights group wary of Pakistan press bill
Fiji coup forces media shutdown

JANUARY 2007
Nigerian newspaper offices raided
Kenyan Presidential security men in scuffle with photographer
Economist censored in Malaysia
Brief period of censorship ends in troubled Bangladesh
Government withdraws ministry ads from Guyana's Stabroek News
Missing Gambian journalist being held in provincial police station
Reporter expelled from Maldives
Sri Lankan journalists protest killings, kidnappings

FEBRUARY 2007
Emergency Powers rules impact Bangladesh press
Pakistan Police beat journalists covering bomb blast
Concern over missing Pakistani editor
Suspects in Sierra Leone editor's death could face extradition
Guyana government withdraws ads from Stabroek News
VP of Sierra Leone journalists' union arrested
Three journalists accused of terrorism in Sri Lanka
Troops assault Fijian photographer
Ghanaian editors receives death threats
Ghanaian journalist shot dead
Kidnapped Pakistani journalist escapes after 50 days
Sri Lankan journalist missing
Mozambique court upholds conviction of journalist's killers

MARCH 2007
Sri Lankan newspaper accounts sealed
Bangladesh journalists jailed in corruption sweep
Jaffna publishers set to receive newsprint
Questions over 'mismanagement' of reporter's arrest in Bangladesh

APRIL
Media freedom in Uganda deteriorating, say Commonwealth media groups
Gambian freelancer arrested on return home
Reporter missing as family kidnapped and killed in Pakistan
Editor of UK-based Zimbabwe paper receives death threats as chief reporter is beaten
Anti-terror laws being used to muzzle Sri Lanka press, says rights watchdog
Cameroon tabloid director faces criminal charges over sex scandal story
Government ads pulled from Standard in Kenya
Delhi-based Burmese paper briefly shut

MAY 2007
Photographer dies in Pakistan bomb attack
Reporter murdered in Jaffna

Sources include:
Reporters without Borders, International Press Insitute, Committee to Protect Journalists and CPU Members.

Read the 2005 Press Freedom Brief
Read the 2004 Press Freedom Brief