While press freedom deteriorated in every region around the world last year, the Maldives saw the biggest improvement following a series radical reforms within the country, according to a study released yesterday by US-based watchdog Freedom House.
The shift was due to a number of factors including the ratification of a new constitution, the opening of additional private radio and television stations, the release of a prominent journalist from life imprisonment and an overall relaxation of restrictions following the country’s first multi-party elections in October 2008.
Speaking to Minivan News today, Irushaadha Sattar, country coordinator for South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), said, “I think it’s a good thing that we have made some progress but it’s not the end.
“We have to keep the momentum going and not take any step backwards and that can only be done through dialogue. As long as there’s dialogue between other stakeholders and the media, we will only go forwards.”
Partly free
Out of the 195 countries and territories covered in the study, the Maldives was the only country to fall ten points on the Freedom House press freedom indicator, moving up a category from “Not Free” to “Partly Free”.
One of most the significant reforms made last year was the ratification of the constitution, which gave protection to the right to freedom of expression for the first time in the country's history.
Further, in December, Abdullah “Fahala” Saeed, a writer of the now defunct opposition newspaper Minivan Daily, was released after two and a half years in prison after being jailed under the former government.
Fahala received a life sentence for alleged drug possession and trafficking; his arrest was widely believed to be politically inspired.
“Disturbing trends”
But warned Irushaadha, 2009 has witnessed some “disturbing trends”, including the criminalisation of defamation by the prosecutor general’s office and complaints by journalists about restrictions on access to information.
In early April, the prosecutor general’s office announced its decision to follow the Penal Code, under which, defamation is a criminal offence. Previously, Former Attorney General Hassan Saeed had opted against pursuing criminal prosecution in defamation cases.
The announcement caused an angry backlash among journalists. The recently formed Maldives Journalist Association denounced the decision while SAFMA described it as a step backwards in achieving democracy.
The organisation called on both parliament and the government to ensure defamation is a civil offence in accordance with international standards.
“Criminal defamation curbs freedom of expression and causes journalists to self-censor, which in turn undermines the principles of democracy,” read a statement issued by the organisation.
Although a defamation bill is pending in parliament, it desperately needs to undergo modification to bring it in line with international standards before it is passed, according to Toby Mendel, legal counsel for Article 19, a human rights organisation that campaigns for freedom of expression around the world.
Global trends
Out of the countries analysed in the Freedom House report, 36 per cent were rated “Free”, 31 per cent were rated “Partly Free” and 33 per cent were rated “Not Free”.
Elsewhere in the region, press freedom in both Bangladesh and Pakistan improved while Sri Lanka and Afghanistan suffered setbacks.
The report notes that while gains were made in South Asia, they were “overshadowed by a campaign of intimidation targeting independent media, particularly in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and North Africa.”
The overall level of press freedom dropped in 2008 following a seven-year trend. The world’s worst-rated countries are Burma, Cuba, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea and Turkmenistan.
In these states, independent media are non-existent or barely able to operate, the press is a government mouthpiece and citizens’ access to information is severely limited.
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