Friday, June 21, 2013
As the globe marks World Refugee Day on Thursday, an international
press freedom group, said that the number of journalists from East
African countries fleeing into exile remains on the rise.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalist's (CPJ) report, a
total of 55 journalists from 21 "repressive" countries, including from
five East African countries, were forced into exile.
Journalists in the East Africa nations of Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Rwanda and Sudan fled in higher numbers over the past 12 months, than
previous years, CPJ's Journalists in Exile 2013 report says.
With the help of CPJ, 18 media workers fled their homes into exile
making the East African region responsible for the highest exile rates
of Journalists for the sixth consecutive year.
The latest report, CPJ said, counts only to journalists who fled due
to work-related persecution, who remained in exile for at least three
months, and whose current whereabouts and activities are confidential to
CPJ.
The group further said the journalists were forced into exile to
escape different forms of intimidation, violence, imprisonment, and
death threats during the past year.
The annual survey listed Iran and Somalia, followed by Ethiopia,
Syria, Eritrea, Mexico, Sri Lanka and Sudan as the nations that drive
out the most journalists.
"Journalists all over the world are being forced from their homes to
escape persecution, imprisonment and sometimes even death," said Maria
Salazar Ferro, CPJ Journalist Assistance Program coordinator.
"When journalists flee, their absence often weakens the besieged
media community already struggling to provide insightful reporting about
sensitive issues."
Most of the journalists from Eritrea and Ethiopia fled in fear of imprisonment, according to the report.
Eritrea and Ethiopia, who respectively are Africa's leading jailers of journalists, have long records of press repression.
Of the 30 journalists who CPJ said assisted in exile from Eritrea
since 2008, many of them alleged they have been unlawfully detained in
the country's prison facilities without charge or trial.
The survey indicated that exiled journalists live in very difficult
conditions suffering anxiety about their family members back home and
getting trapped in a legal limbo being unable to secure job.
"Forced exile can wreck journalists' lives, as well as the lives of their families," Salazar Ferro said.
Ferro said only about one-fifth of exiled journalists are able to resume working in the same field.