Namibia - Dip in press rankings

November 27th, 2009

 

 

Windhoek (Namibia) - Namibia's friendliness towards the media has dropped 12 places according to the latest press freedom index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) yesterday.

The media violations watchdog ranked Namibia 36th in the world and fourth in Africa. A year ago Namibia was 24th in the world and first in Africa, followed by Ghana, Mali and South Africa.
The Paris-based group gave Namibia the big drop after South African TV journalist Bonita Nuttall was arrested on November 28 last year for doing a report in Namibia after entering the country on a tourist visa. She was freed on payment of two lots of bail.
Ghana was boosted by yet another democratic election in January 2009, in which opposition candidate John Atta-Mills defeated the ruling party’s would-be successor to President John Kufuor.
In November last year RSF was one of the organisations which objected to the arrest of Nuttal and urged the government to ease Namibia’s relevant legislation, which imposes too many restrictions on foreign journalists wanting to work there.
A presenter on the South African TV station M-Net’s investigative programme ‘Carte Blanche’, Nuttall was arrested at Windhoek international airport as she was about to depart on November 28.
After spending the night in a holding cell at the airport, she was released the next day on bail of N$2 000 pending an initial court appearance. On December 3, the court ordered her to pay additional bail of N$8 000 pending trial in February.
She was arrested for doing a report about the nomadic Himba ethnic group without first obtaining the temporary residence and work permits which Namibia requires of foreign journalists.
RSF surveyed censorship, intimidation and violence against journalists around the world before releasing the latest report.
The media violations watchdog ranked Namibia above countries such as France, Spain, Argentina and Italy.
It said the horn of Africa was again the region with the most press freedom violations.
Eritrea (175th), where no independent media is tolerated and 30 journalists were in prison (as many as in China or Iran but with a much smaller population), was ranked last in the world for the third year running.
Somalia (164th), which is steadily being emptied of its journalists, was the world’s deadliest country for the media, with six journalists killed between January 1 and July 4.
This year confirmed that, in some African countries, democracy rests on solid foundations and respect for freedoms was guaranteed. But in other countries, political crises and instability dealt harsh blows to the work of journalists and news media.
In Madagascar (134th), which plummeted 40 places, the media were caught in a confrontation between ousted president Marc Ravalomanana and the president of the High Transition Authority, Andry Rajoelina.
Censorship, violent attacks on media premises, disinformation and a young journalist’s death while covering a demonstration were the reasons for the island’s sharp fall in the index.
In Gabon (129th), the media’s work was undermined by the news blackout about President Omar Bongo’s health which the authorities imposed in the run-up to his death and the poisonous climate during the presidential election in August this year.
In Zimbabwe (136th), RSF said, the press seems to be in the process of freeing itself from the regime’s vice-like grip.
“The situation was marred by former journalist Jestina Mukoko’s abduction and then imprisonment for many weeks. But hopes have been buoyed by the new government of national unity’s announcement in the summer that the BBC and CNN would be allowed to return and that the independent Daily News would be able to resume publishing,” RSF said.

source.The Namibian (Namibia)