May 1, 2003 10:00 PM  By Patrick Markey

CARACAS, Venezuela (<a href=www.swissinfo.org>Swissinfo.org-Reuters) - One man has been shot dead by a gunman who fired on opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after tens of thousands of demonstrators jammed Caracas streets in rival Labour Day marches over his populist rule, officials say.

In confused running skirmishes on Thursday, police fired tear gas after the shooting to disperse rival bands of demonstrators who clashed in the centre of the capital with volleys of rocks, bottles and fireworks.

Witnesses and officials said the gunman opened fire at one opposition labour leader and then fled to a nearby building, where state security police fought back angry demonstrators clamouring for justice.

The man's body lay draped in a flag on the street. "They fired at point-blank range three times. He didn't stand a chance," Hector Alcala, 33, told Reuters.

The violence was the most recent since February when the opposition ended a two-month strike and protest campaign that stoked tensions but failed to oust Chavez, a former paratrooper who foes say rules like a corrupt autocrat.

In a huge fluttering sea of banners, placards and national flags, thousands of Chavez opponents earlier snaked along a Caracas highway in what they billed as a renewed campaign for a referendum to unseat the leftist president.

"Everyone on the streets again to democratically resolve this crisis. We will defeat him ... From today the people will take the streets," barked Manuel Cova, an anti-Chavez union chief and opposition leader.

More than a year after Chavez survived a brief military coup in April 2002, his South American nation is mired in economic crisis and bitter political strife. At least seven people have been killed and dozens more wounded during street protests in the last few months.

A loose alliance of parties, unions and private sector heads, the opposition remains without clear leadership while Chavez appears determined to press ahead with the self-styled revolution he says aims to ease the plight of the poor.

Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, is battling one of the worst economic recessions in its history and as much as 80 percent of the population still lives in poverty despite its huge oil wealth.

Opposition leaders hope to trigger a referendum after August 19 when the constitution allows for a poll on the president's mandate halfway through his current term in office, which ends in early 2007.

"We will have a referendum this year; we will have a new president this year," opposition negotiator Timoteo Zambrano said at the rally.

But internationally backed negotiations over the referendum remain deadlocked after the government backed away from signing an accord that would have paved the way for a vote.

PRESS FREEDOM DECLINES WORLDWIDE: New Study Shows Major Setbacks in Russia, Ukraine, and Venezuela
Posted by click at 4:46 AM in Free speech

freedomhouse.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Goldfarb (212) 514-8040 x308

NEW YORK, April 30, 2003 -- Press freedom suffered notable worldwide deterioration in 2002, due in part to political and armed conflicts and increased government-backed restrictions on independent media outlets, Freedom House announced in a major study released today.

Among the most serious developments were major setbacks for press freedom in Russia, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

The study, Freedom of the Press 2003: A Global Survey of Media Independence, pfs2003 (application/pdf, 821 KB)

reveals that some press restrictions took place in fledgling democracies, demonstrating that the media are one of the most vulnerable sectors in societies still struggling to reform.

The entire report, which contains country-by-country analysis, can be found on Freedom House's web site at www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2003/pfs2003.pdf

The survey assesses the degree of press freedom in every country in the world and rates each country as Free, Partly Free, or Not Free.

Overall, the study reveals that 11 countries--Armenia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela--declined in category, while only 2 countries--Fiji and Sri Lanka--increased.

Of 193 countries surveyed (including the Israeli-Administered Territories/Palestinian Authority), 78 (41%, representing 20% of the world's population) were rated Free, with no significant restrictions on the news media; 47 (24%, or 38% of the global population) were rated Partly Free and are characterized by some media restrictions; and 68 (35%, or 42% of the world's population) were rated Not Free, with state control or other obstacles to a free press.

The proportion of the world's population considered Not Free increased by four percent from 2001

"Freedom House is deeply concerned by this significant decline in press freedom," said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor. "Of particular concern is that some countries that are nominally democratic do not feature vibrant independent media due to heavy government interference. This only reinforces the key role independent media play in keeping governments accountable," she said.

Political instability and civil conflict took a serious toll on press freedom in 2002. Media in countries such as Colombia, Nepal, and Venezuela--which all declined to Not Free--faced broader restrictions on permissible coverage and intimidation by government officials. Violent attacks against the press by some or all parties to a conflict led to significant declines in the level of press freedom as fear led to self-censorship. Those who infringe on the media's rights are often not punished for their actions, perpetuating a climate of impunity.

Ongoing armed conflicts in Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and in the Israeli-Administered Territories/Palestinian Authority led to further declines in their numerical scores.

Democracy's Fragility

There were also worrying signs in 2002 in some of the world's more fragile democracies and transitional societies, where media do not enjoy protections from government interference normally featured in established democracies. Restrictive legislation and politicized judiciaries still prevail in some of these countries, such as in Russia, where the government of Vladimir Putin clamped down on independent media.

In Venezuela, a protracted political crisis led to serious harassment of the media by supporters of President Hugo Chavez, resulting in the country's shift into the Not Free category.

"One of the most worrying aspects of this deterioration in press freedom is that state-directed intimidation of and attempts to influence the media are being perpetrated by democratically elected governments that seem to be increasingly unwilling to tolerate critical coverage," said Karin Karlekar, the survey's managing editor.

Bright Spots

Two countries--Sri Lanka and Fiji--registered positive category shifts during the year. Sri Lanka improved from Not Free to Partly Free as the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tamil Eelam rebel group increased the range of permissible coverage and press access to areas formerly under rebel control. In Fiji, greater political stability helped to reduce overt harassment of the media and to move the country from Party Free to Free.

While insufficient for category shifts, progress was nonetheless registered in Angola and Chad, where civil wars have ended, and in Somalia and Afghanistan, which have seen the growth of independent media outlets. The passage of reformist media legislation in Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain contributed to noticeable improvements in press freedom in those countries.

Regional Trends

Americas: Of the 35 countries of the Americas, 18 (52%) are Free, 13 (37%) are Partly Free, and 4 (11%) are Not Free. Many of the world's declines were registered in the Americas, with Colombia and Venezuela joining Cuba and Haiti in the Not Free category. Peru regressed to Partly Free after the government leveled charges against the media for libel and for reporting on corruption. Panama also moved to Partly Free due to a widespread legal campaign against journalists by public officials, as did the Dominican Republic, due to selective placement of official advertisements in newspapers and increased concentration of media ownership.

Asia Pacific: Of 39 Asian Pacific countries, 18 (46%) are rated Free, 7 (18%) are Partly Free, and 14 (36%) are Not Free. While Sri Lanka improved to Partly Free and Fiji to Free, Nepal fell to Not Free in the midst of a violent Maoist insurgency. In Thailand, which declined from Free to Partly Free after two international publications were banned, local media faced official pressure to soften critical reporting, and several editors were forced to resign. The restrictions in Thailand came as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra increased executive powers and moved to prevent media coverage of official corruption.

Central & Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union: Of the 27 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, 9 (33%) are rated Free, 8 (30%) are Partly Free, and 10 (37%) are Not Free. Russia's and Armenia's ratings declined from Partly Free to Not Free after each country's government shut down leading independent television broadcasters. Ukraine also moved to Not Free after several journalists were targeted by politically motivated libel lawsuits and obstructive tax audits. Russian and Ukrainian reporters who investigated official corruption were routinely intimidated and sometimes violently attacked. Three journalists in Russia were murdered.

Middle East & North Africa: Of the 19 Middle Eastern and North African countries, only one (5%), Israel, is rated Free. Two countries (11%), Kuwait and Morocco, are Partly Free, while sixteen (84%) are Not Free. The Middle East is the only region with an average rating of Not Free. Jordan moved to Not Free after journalists there were prosecuted for criticizing the government. A notable decline took place in Tunisia, where authorities sentenced an Internet writer to two years in prison for spreading "false information." Several journalists were shot while covering the violence in the West Bank.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Of 48 Sub-Saharan African countries, 8 (17%) are rated Free, 16 (33%) Partly Free and 24 (50%) Not Free. In Zimbabwe, the government of Robert Mugabe passed draconian legislation that further restricted the ability of both foreign and local reporters to work freely. Eritrea--where all private newspapers have been banned and several journalists remain jailed--continued a year-old crackdown against independent media, ostensibly on national security grounds.

Western Europe: Of 25 Western European countries, 24 (96%) are rated Free. One country (4%), Turkey, is rated Partly Free. None is rated Not Free.

Freedom House, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, monitors political rights and civil liberties worldwide. In addition to its annual Freedom of the Press survey, it also publishes Freedom in the World, an annual global survey measuring freedom in every country, and Nations in Transit, a comprehensive comparative survey of the post-Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union.

--end--

Press Freedom improved in Lanka last year - Freedom House
Posted by click at 3:01 AM Story Archive May 6, 2003 (Page 3 of 6)
Adamant: Hardest metal

Daily News

The US human rights group Freedom House has identified Sri Lanka as one of the only two countries where press freedom has been strengthened during the last year. The other country is Fiji.

The study, 'Freedom of the Press 2003: A Global Survey of Media Independence' released yesterday in New York, said Sri Lanka's rating improved as a result of the ceasefire and peace talks between the government and the LTTE which facilitated a more open environment for the media, as well as the removal of criminal defamation legislation.

"The ceasefire agreement between the government and the LTTE increased the range of permissible coverage and press access to areas formerly under rebel control," the report said.

Freedom House said press freedom suffered notable worldwide deterioration in 2002, due in part to political and armed conflicts and increased government-backed restrictions on independent media outlets. Overall, the study reveals that 11 countries-Armenia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela-declined in category, while only two countries-Fiji and Sri Lanka increased.

The report said:"

"Although the constitution provides for freedom of expression, the government had restricted this right in practice, particularly with regard to coverage of the civil war. However, authorities lifted censorship of military-related news last year.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group tightly restricts the media in areas under its control.

In a major advance for press freedom, an Act of Parliament removed criminal defamation legislation from the statute books last June. The government controls many of the largest media outlets, and political coverage in the state-owned media favors the ruling party. While private newspapers and broadcasters scrutinise government policies, journalists do practice some self-censorship.

Reporters, particularly those who cover human rights issues, corruption, or police misconduct, continued to face some harassment, threats, and violent attacks at the hands of the police, security forces, government supporters, and the LTTE during the year.

In February, a court sentenced two Air Force officers to prison terms for an attack on a journalist that had occurred four years ago. However, the murder of a BBC reporter in October 2000 by unidentified gunmen remains unsolved."

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