The Journalism Research and Education Association of Australia (JERAA) has urged the Australian government to make a strong commitment to supporting journalists and media personnel in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of international forces.

JERAA said in a statement today it had endorsed the calls of Australia’s Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) for urgent action to provide humanitarian visas and other support to those attempting to flee the country.

In the current upheaval, it is difficult to obtain figures on how many journalists have been attacked, but the Afghan Independent Journalist Association and Afghanistan’s National Journalists Union express grave concerns for the well-being of journalists and media personnel.

Nai, an Afghan organisation supporting independent media, released figures indicating that by late July, at least 30 media workers had been killed, wounded or tortured in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2021.

UNESCO has recorded five deaths of journalists in Afghanistan in 2021, making it the country with the world’s greatest number of journalists’ deaths this year. Four have been women, reflecting the higher risk of attacks on female journalists.

Current figures are likely to be incomplete due to the challenges of obtaining information. They do not include deaths of professionals in related industries, such as the murder of the Head of Afghan government Media and Information Centre on August 6.

The Taliban has a long-established pattern of striking out against journalists.

A Human Rights Watch report, released in April 2021, in the lead up to the United States and NATO troop withdrawal, noted that Taliban forces had already established a practice of targeting journalists and other media workers.

Journalists are intimidated, harassed and attacked routinely by the Taliban, which regularly accuses them of being aligned with the Afghan government or international military forces or being spies.

Female journalists face a higher level of threats, especially if they have appeared on television and radio.

International Press Institute figures, released in May 2021 at the start of the troop withdrawals, also showed that Afghanistan had the highest rate of deaths of journalists in the world.

The IPI expressed concern about an intensification of attacks on journalists and the future of the news media in Afghanistan.

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More journalists are being killed in countries considered to be “at peace.”

In 2016, 58 percent of media fatalities took place in war zones. Now only 32 percent of the fatalities are in war-torn countries such as Syria or Yemen or in countries with low or medium-intensity conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

In other words, 68 percent (more than two thirds) of the fatalities are in countries “at peace,” above all Mexico (with eight journalists killed), India (four), the Philippines (three) and Honduras (three).

Of all the journalists killed in connection with their work in 2020, 84 percent were knowingly targeted and deliberately murdered, as compared to  63 percent in 2019.

Barbaric murders
Some were murdered in a particularly barbaric manner.

In Mexico, Julio Valdivia Rodríguez, a reporter for the daily El Mundo, was found beheaded in the eastern state of Veracruz, while Víctor Fernando Álvarez Chávez, the editor of the local news website Punto x Punto Noticias, was cut to pieces in the western city of Acapulco.

In India, Rakesh “Nirbhik” Singh, a reporter for the Rashtriya Swaroop newspaper, was burned alive in December after being doused with a highly flammable, alcohol-based hand sanitiser in his home in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh by men sent by a local official whose corrupt practices he had criticised, while Isravel Moses, a TV reporter in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu, was hacked to death with machetes.

In Iran, it was the state that acted as executioner. Rouhollah Zam, the editor of the Amadnews website and Telegram news channel, was hanged after being sentenced to death in an unfair trial.

Although executions are common in Iran, it was the first time in 30 years that a journalist has been subjected to this archaic and barbaric practice.

“The world’s violence continues to be visited upon journalists,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “Some may think that journalists are just the victims of the risks of their profession, but journalists  are increasingly targeted when they investigate or cover sensitive subjects. What is being attacked is the right to be informed, which is everyone’s right.”

Most dangerous stories
As in the past, the most dangerous stories are investigations into cases of local corruption or misuse of public funds (10 journalists killed in 2020) or investigations into the activities of organised crime (four killed). In a new development in 2020, seven journalists were killed while covering protests.

In Iraq, three journalists were killed in exactly the same way: by a shot to the head fired by unidentified gunmen while they were covering protests. A fourth was killed in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region while trying to flee from clashes between security forces and demonstrators.

In Nigeria, two journalists fell victim to the climate of violence accompanying protests, especially protests against the brutality of a police unit tasked with combating crime.

In Colombia, a reporter for a community radio station was fatally shot while covering an indigenous community protest against the privatisation of local land that was violently dispersed by regular police, riot police and soldiers.

In the 2020 annual round-up of journalists who are detained, held hostage or missing at the end of the year, published on 14 December, RSF reported that 387 journalists are currently detained in connection with their work.

This is virtually the same as a year ago and means the number of journalists detained worldwide is still at a historically high level.

2020 has also seen a 35 percent increase in the number of women journalists arbitrarily  detained, and a fourfold increase in arrests of journalists during the first three months of covid-19’s spread around the world.

Fourteen journalists who were arrested in connection with their coverage of the pandemic are still being held.

Asia Pacific Report and Pacific Media Watch collaborate with Reporters Without Borders.

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Philippine authorities should independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing of journalist Ronnie Villamor and hold those responsible to account, says the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In the afternoon of November 14, Philippine Army soldiers shot and killed Villamor, a contributor to the local independent Dos Kantos Balita weekly tabloid, outside a military checkpoint in Milagros, a town in Masbate province in the central Philippines.

He was on his way to cover a disputed land survey, according to press reports.

The troops, led by Second Lieutenant Maydim Jomadil, were investigating reports of armed men in the area, according to local broadcaster ABS-CBN.

Major Aldrin Rosales, the local police chief, alleged that the troops ordered Villamor to stop his motorcycle, and opened fire when the journalist drew a firearm, according to that report.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines denied that version of events, saying that soldiers stopped Villamor and four surveyors he was accompanying despite the group having coordinated with police to be in the area.

When the five decided to call local police to assist them in passing through the army checkpoint, the soldiers opened fire and killed Villamor, the statement said.

‘Swift, independent investigation’ needed
“Authorities must conduct a swift and independent investigation into the killing of journalist Ronnie Villamor, and ensure that any soldiers who acted unlawfully are brought to justice,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative.

“Soldiers cannot simply gun down a journalist without fear that their actions will be thoroughly investigated and any wrongdoing punished. Prosecution of the perpetrators is the only way the cycle of impunity will be broken in the Philippines.”

Local English-language outlet Butalat reported that the army and police claimed Villamor was a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), an anti-government armed insurgent group active in the region.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security, a government body tasked with resolving journalist killings, did not reply to CPJ’s repeated emailed requests for its assessment of Villamor’s killing and information on the status of any investigations into the case.

Villamor covered land disputes and other political issues for Dos Kantos Balita, according to the NUJP. The tabloid covers many hard-hitting issues, including illegal logging, drug trafficking, and illegal fishing in the region, according to a CPJ review of the publication’s Facebook page.

The Philippine Army did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on the circumstances surrounding Villamor’s killing.

In October, CPJ published its annual Global Impunity Index, a ranking of nations where journalists are slain and their killers go free – the Philippines ranked seventh, with at least 11 unsolved journalist killings.

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The International Federation of Journalists and the Alliance of Independent Journalists have expressed concern over reports that several local journalists have been harassed and attacked across Indonesia, reports IFJ Asia-Pacific.

A series of assaults against local journalists has occurred in different cities in the country, ranging from verbal attacks to physical assault.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has joined its affiliate, the Alliance of Independent Journalists Indonesia (AJI), to condemn the attacks and urge the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

A journalist for Radar Mandalika, Muhamed Arif, was physically assaulted and intimidated by the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) for covering protests in front of the Governor’s office in Matara, West Nusa Tenggara on August 24.

Despite declaring that he was a journalist, the officers continued their assault and prevented him from taking photos.

On the same day, chief editor of Metro Aceh Bahrul Walidin was reported for alleged defamation by a businesswoman who is also a local politician following his coverage on fraud allegations against her.

She also filed a complaint to the Press Council.

Tempo journalist’s phone seized
On September 2, a state prosecutor confiscated Tempo journalist Kukuh S. Wibowo’s phone while he was covering the hearing between the State Prosecutor Office and the Commission III of House of Representatives and Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the State Prosecutor Office Building in East Java.

The forum was held to discuss an investigative report published by Tempo on the 17 containers of illegal textile imports from China. The state prosecutor held Kukuh’s phone for approximately three hours. When Kukuh’s phone was returned, application settings had been changed.

AJI said: “The AJI urges all sides, from government officials to the private sector to respect journalists’ rights and press freedom.

“All the incidents have shown that threats against journalists in Indonesia are still high. AJI also calls on the authorities to investigate and bring all the perpetrators to justice.”

The IFJ said: “Indonesia is a challenging place to work for journalists, and ongoing harassment and attacks on journalists makes the situation all the more precarious.

“The IFJ calls on the authorities to ensure the safety of journalists in Indonesia and to reinforce to all sides of Indonesia’s political spectrum and private sector that journalism is not a crime.”

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The protests were triggered by the killing by Minneapolis police officers of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, as they arrested him on May 25.

So far at least 68 incidents have been documented of attacks by police and protesters alike against journalists covering the protests.

They have been shot by rubber bullets and pepper balls, exposed to tear gas and pepper spray, beaten, threatened and intimidated and had their news vehicles vandalised, simply for doing their jobs.

“President Trump’s demonization of the media for years has now come to fruition, with both the police and protesters targeting clearly identified journalists with violence and arrests,” said Christophe Deloire, RSF’s secretary general.

“It has long been obvious that this demonisation would lead to physical violence. RSF has warned about the consequences of this blatant hostility towards the media, and we are now witnessing an unprecedented outbreak of violence against journalists in the US.

“RSF calls on all US authorities to ensure the full protection of journalists and honour the country’s founding principles in respecting press freedom,” Deloire added.

Among serious attacks
Among the most serious attacks:

·       In Minneapolis, Linda Tirado, has been left permanently blind in one eye after being struck by what she believes was a rubber bullet fired by police officers as she photographed protests.

·       In Pittsburgh, Ian Smith – a photojournalist for KDKA TV – posted to Twitter that he had been “attacked by protesters downtown by the arena. They stomped and kicked me. I’m bruised and bloody but alive. My camera was destroyed. Another group of protesters pulled me out and saved my life.”

·       In Phoenix, CBS reporter Briana Whitney was tackled live on air as a protester made a grab for her microphone.

·       In Washington, D.C., Fox News reporter Leland Vittert and his crew were punched, hit by projectiles, and chased by protesters who had gathered outside the White House.

Reports are also emerging of arrests and detention of journalists by police.

In Minneapolis, Australian 9News US correspondent Tim Arvier was detained by police at gunpoint.

Arrested for ‘failure to disperse’
In Las Vegas, freelance photojournalist Bridget Bennett was arrested for “failure to disperse” and held overnight while working on assignment for AFP.

Ellen Schmidt, a photojournalist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was also arrested and held overnight in Las Vegas.

RSF calls for urgent action by US authorities to ensure the safety of journalists covering the continuing protests, including a moratorium on the arrests of journalists and immediate guidance to police making it clear that journalists are not to be shot at or otherwise directly targeted by crowd-control measures, and that journalists must be protected from violent attacks by protesters.

The US is ranked 45th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index.

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