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FREEDOM HOUSE MEDIA REPORT PAINTS BLEAK PICTURE FOR CENTRAL ASIA, CAUCASUS
Deirdre Tynan
EurasiaNet, NY -
April 29 2008
The news is bleak for media outlets in the Caucasus and Central Asia,
according to an annual report released by Freedom House on April
29. And the forecast calls for periods of repression, heavy at times.
Press freedoms worldwide are under threat, but the drift toward
repression in the former Soviet Union is the most pronounced and
alarming, said Karin Karlekar, the managing editor of the report,
Freedom of the Press 2008. "It's very worrying. In past years we've
seen declines in the worst performing countries, but what's interesting
this year is that we've seen declines in the whole region, from the
better performing countries all the way down to the worst performers,"
she said.
Freedom of the Press 2008 rates countries as free, partly free or
not free across three categories: the legal environment in which
media outlets operate; political influence on reporting and access to
information; and economic pressures on content and the dissemination of
news. Countries were scored on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing
total government control over mass media, and zero indicating perfect
freedom. [For a look at the entire table, click here].
"There were a wide range of trends. In the better performing countries
there was increasing pressure from governments on public broadcast
media. We noted in several of the mid-range countries there were
downward trends. In Kyrgyzstan that was mostly connected to the
political environment. In Georgia, political polarization, elections
and the state of emergency led to a crackdown on media. Armenia had
a similar sort of experience with pre-election tensions." In the 2008
survey Kyrgyzstan received a score of 70, Georgia 60 and Armenia 66.
Perennial human rights bad boys - Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - were,
not surprisingly, found at the bottom of the Freedom House table.
Despite Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's oft-stated
desire to liberalize, Turkmenistan retained its title as the most
media unfriendly state in Caspian Basin. Ashgabat's total of 96
in 2008 remained unchanged over its tally the previous year. In
the world, only Burma and North Korea received a worse score than
Turkmenistan's. "The government retained its absolute monopoly over
all media, directly controlling not only media outlets, but also the
printing presses and other infrastructure on which they depended,"
the Freedom House report stated.
Berdymukhamedov in recent weeks has demanded that state-controlled
mass media outlets improve the quality of programming. He added
that journalists should be more "creative" and trained by foreign
professionals. However, Karlekar countered that the media situation
in Turkmenistan is so debased "it would be difficult to say what
could be done to improve it."
"We were hoping to see some positive changes in Turkmenistan [after
the death of former dictator Saparumat Niyazov] but there's been
scant change, which is very disappointing," she added.
Uzbekistan registered a 92 score in the 2008 report, up from its
91 the previous year. "The aftermath of government clampdowns in
2005-2006 left an already barren media landscape even more desolate
in 2007," this year's report states. "Despite nominal constitutional
guarantees, Uzbek authorities showed no respect for freedom of speech
or of the press."
"Virtually all media were linked either directly or indirectly to the
[Uzbek] state, and the government used them to present a carefully
constructed picture of an ideal reality, with occasional forays into
limited criticism," the report continued.
After Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan proved the most
state most hostile to independent media. Astana saw its 2008 score
stand at 78, a two-point increase over the previous year. "Political
events underscored the overwhelming extent of partisan ownership and
presidential influence," the report said. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. Independent-minded journalists continue to
encounter "harassment and obstacles, including criminal charges and
civil libel suits," the report continued.
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan trailed just behind Kazakhstan, each
country receiving a score of 77. In examining Dushanbe's conduct,
the report criticized the introduction of amendments criminalizing
libel and defamation on the internet, featuring penalties of up to
two years in prison. It also noted the government's manipulation of
the judicial system to harass journalists and editors, and licensing
difficulties for both domestic and foreign media outlets.
Azerbaijan, the report points out, remains one of the world leaders in
imprisoning journalists. "Fearful of a 'color revolution' scenario,
the government continues to clamp down on all opposition media and
has no tolerance for criticism," the report added.
Deirdre Tynan
EurasiaNet, NY -
April 29 2008
The news is bleak for media outlets in the Caucasus and Central Asia,
according to an annual report released by Freedom House on April
29. And the forecast calls for periods of repression, heavy at times.
Press freedoms worldwide are under threat, but the drift toward
repression in the former Soviet Union is the most pronounced and
alarming, said Karin Karlekar, the managing editor of the report,
Freedom of the Press 2008. "It's very worrying. In past years we've
seen declines in the worst performing countries, but what's interesting
this year is that we've seen declines in the whole region, from the
better performing countries all the way down to the worst performers,"
she said.
Freedom of the Press 2008 rates countries as free, partly free or
not free across three categories: the legal environment in which
media outlets operate; political influence on reporting and access to
information; and economic pressures on content and the dissemination of
news. Countries were scored on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing
total government control over mass media, and zero indicating perfect
freedom. [For a look at the entire table, click here].
"There were a wide range of trends. In the better performing countries
there was increasing pressure from governments on public broadcast
media. We noted in several of the mid-range countries there were
downward trends. In Kyrgyzstan that was mostly connected to the
political environment. In Georgia, political polarization, elections
and the state of emergency led to a crackdown on media. Armenia had
a similar sort of experience with pre-election tensions." In the 2008
survey Kyrgyzstan received a score of 70, Georgia 60 and Armenia 66.
Perennial human rights bad boys - Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - were,
not surprisingly, found at the bottom of the Freedom House table.
Despite Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's oft-stated
desire to liberalize, Turkmenistan retained its title as the most
media unfriendly state in Caspian Basin. Ashgabat's total of 96
in 2008 remained unchanged over its tally the previous year. In
the world, only Burma and North Korea received a worse score than
Turkmenistan's. "The government retained its absolute monopoly over
all media, directly controlling not only media outlets, but also the
printing presses and other infrastructure on which they depended,"
the Freedom House report stated.
Berdymukhamedov in recent weeks has demanded that state-controlled
mass media outlets improve the quality of programming. He added
that journalists should be more "creative" and trained by foreign
professionals. However, Karlekar countered that the media situation
in Turkmenistan is so debased "it would be difficult to say what
could be done to improve it."
"We were hoping to see some positive changes in Turkmenistan [after
the death of former dictator Saparumat Niyazov] but there's been
scant change, which is very disappointing," she added.
Uzbekistan registered a 92 score in the 2008 report, up from its
91 the previous year. "The aftermath of government clampdowns in
2005-2006 left an already barren media landscape even more desolate
in 2007," this year's report states. "Despite nominal constitutional
guarantees, Uzbek authorities showed no respect for freedom of speech
or of the press."
"Virtually all media were linked either directly or indirectly to the
[Uzbek] state, and the government used them to present a carefully
constructed picture of an ideal reality, with occasional forays into
limited criticism," the report continued.
After Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan proved the most
state most hostile to independent media. Astana saw its 2008 score
stand at 78, a two-point increase over the previous year. "Political
events underscored the overwhelming extent of partisan ownership and
presidential influence," the report said. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. Independent-minded journalists continue to
encounter "harassment and obstacles, including criminal charges and
civil libel suits," the report continued.
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan trailed just behind Kazakhstan, each
country receiving a score of 77. In examining Dushanbe's conduct,
the report criticized the introduction of amendments criminalizing
libel and defamation on the internet, featuring penalties of up to
two years in prison. It also noted the government's manipulation of
the judicial system to harass journalists and editors, and licensing
difficulties for both domestic and foreign media outlets.
Azerbaijan, the report points out, remains one of the world leaders in
imprisoning journalists. "Fearful of a 'color revolution' scenario,
the government continues to clamp down on all opposition media and
has no tolerance for criticism," the report added.