"In detention" … The state of media freedom in the Arab world

Nidal Mansour /

"In detention" … The state of media freedom in the Arab world is the title chosen by the Center for the Protection and Freedom of Journalists for its annual report, which monitors and documents violations against journalists in the world. Arab countries.

The title clearly indicates the growing number of imprisoned journalists, increasing pressure and restrictions, as evidenced by the fragmentation and collapse of the media, many of which depend on the regimes, as evidenced by the reports of international organizations defending the freedom of the media . The Arab world is one of the most dangerous places for journalists and the bloodiest. Hundreds of journalists who have been victims of terrorism, tyranny and oppression in recent years have fallen on its territory.

The seventh annual report on the state of media freedom for 2018 is expected to be published and published in the coming weeks. It monitors 3029 violations against journalists in 15 Arab countries and reveals that Palestine is the country that committed the greatest number of violations. Israeli occupation, followed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

Sudan ranks second with the highest number of violations, followed by Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon.

The number of violations against the media has decreased in 2018, but the freedom of the media has not improved: with the exception of the Tunisian experience, which is making progress, the Arab countries are experiencing successive failures that best manifest themselves in the reality of public freedoms, including freedom of expression and information.

"States of Silence" is the label launched by the report on countries where violations can not be monitored by media outlets such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, indicating that in these countries, most independent media are not independent and the press is censored in most cases. In addition, documenting information and disclosing violations is difficult and difficult, and most journalists who work with them are "expatriates" rather than citizens and are afraid to give information even if they have been mistreated. or violated. In addition, these countries do not have independent and effective civil society institutions that monitor, monitor and document human rights violations, hence the conclusion of the report that " states of silence "or darkness are void. If the violations disappear or are not reported, it does not mean They have freedom of information.

In the opposite direction, countries that are victims of numerous violations, such as Palestine, Egypt or Iraq, enjoy greater freedom of press and media than countries whose light is not known.

There was a bet that the state of freedom would improve after the defeat of the Da'er organization in Iraq and Syria in recent years, she is at the origin of the More murders, murders and kidnappings of journalists, but the truth is that Arab regimes have never tolerated media freedom and have continued to commit abuses.

The most painful aspect of the media freedom scene is that the judicial authorities, presumed guardians of justice, are essential partners in the perpetration of violations: they break all the standards of a fair trial, maintain the journalists in detention and sentences of imprisonment, and respect all international treaties that protect liberties.

The Arab States sign and ratify international treaties protecting freedom of expression and information, the constitution of which provides for the protection of freedoms. In fact, all these texts are just "ink on paper" The authorities and their security agencies do not make fun of blocking websites or confiscating newspapers. After the printing, censorship, badbadination of journalists, or even when they decide to murder them in cold blood with all the positions and statements condemning these violations, they consider and continue to consider the media as a nada and their opponent unveiling their secrets and their crimes.

4034 violations monitored by the Report of the Center for the Protection and Freedom of Journalists in 2015, 3581 violations recorded in 2016 and 3,100 offenses recorded in 2017, 3029 offenses recorded in 2018, but strange and exciting despite frequent excesses and complaints, Offenders who committed these crimes are not held accountable They take legal action and have escaped punishment, which is the most dangerous in the Arab world: the guilty are free and the victims are not their agents .

What distinguishes the report of the Center for the Protection and Concealment of Journalists is that it is perhaps the only one specialized in monitoring violations in the Arab world: it does not depend only on general indicators and state of freedoms in the countries, but documents the most egregious violations and listens to the voices of the victims. International reports and provide them with more detailed information.

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