Report: CIS countries are "world's most dangerous places for journalists"

6/25/07

The evolution of a "reconsolidated authoritarian model" is enabling states in the Commonwealth of Independent States to re-impose control over mass media, according to a recent report prepared by Freedom House.

The report – titled Muzzling the Media: The Return of Censorship in the CIS – makes the assertion that most former Soviet states, including those in Central Asia and the Caucasus, are the most hazardous on earth, outside of active war zones, for journalists to work in. Entrenched authority in these states are increasingly unwilling to tolerate the "watchdog" role that media strives to play in open societies, according to the report.

"Reporters willing to investigate issues such as political and corporate corruption are confronted by powerful, vested interests striving to muzzle news professionals," the report states.

"Intimidation, physical violence, and even murder of reporters and editors have become commonplace," the report continued. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "Journalists in virtually every CIS country have been victims of contract killings, or otherwise met death under suspicious circumstances." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

At least for the foreseeable future, any hope that a free press would develop in what was once the totalitarian former Soviet space has dissipated, the report suggests. It adds that methods of media control in the CIS have become more sophisticated since the 1991 Soviet collapse. "Gone is all encompassing ideological state media control," the report says. "This contemporary form of censorship is achieved through a mix of state-enabled oligarchic control, broadcast monopolies of presidential ‘families,' judicial persecution and subtle and overt forms of intimidation." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Among the countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia, only Georgia was ranked as "partly free" according to a recent Freedom House survey measuring press freedom in 2006. All other states in the two regions were rated as "not free." Of theses states, "none is moving in the direction of more freedom, and most have a decidedly downward trajectory," the report contends.

In sharp contrast to Central European states that were formerly members of the Warsaw Pact, economic growth has not encouraged media freedom in the CIS. Former Soviet states with the strongest strong growth rates, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, are among the most repressive. "If economic wherewithal were the key determinant of levels of press freedom, then Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia ... should likewise be enjoying increased press freedom. Yet, they are not," the report states.

Four major trends have emerged over the last three-plus years in the region, each of them designed to thwart democratization. The first is "intensified" state control over television, which is the primary way most residents in the CIS receive information. Authorities have also reworked legislative frameworks to "impede independent reporting." In addition, CIS governments have taken action to prevent international broadcasters, including the British Broadcasting Corp. and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, from broadcasting via local radio stations in the regions. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Finally, officials are now starting to scrutinize print media, which to date has offered perhaps the widest outlet for the dissemination opposition ideas in many countries.

Despite broad efforts by authorities in the region to squash scrutiny of their actions, independent journalism has survived due largely to the existence of the Internet, the Freedom House report says. "Bloggers and other new media practitioners continue to push the boundaries of 21st century journalism," the report says. "But while the Internet remains free in Russia and a number of other post-Soviet countries, it is fast becoming a target of greater interest for new regulatory intervention."

"While the Internet holds further promise and connectivity is growing at an impressive rate," the report adds, "it remains a medium through which only a small fraction of news is obtained. As Internet use grows, it will become critically important to safeguard its integrity."

Posted June 25, 2007 © Eurasianet