Today was published the 2009 press freedom index by Reporters without Borders. And Italy has fallen from 44th to 49th place, the worst country in Western Europe and in worse conditions than many states of Eastern Europe, Africa and South America. The reason is obviously the control of a large part of the media by the Prime Minister in office and his continued attempts to intimidate and censor those he doesn't control.
In addition to him press freedom in Italy is suffering of course from the threats of organized crime: several Italian journalists as Roberto Saviano, Pino Maniaci and Lirio Abbate, benefit from some form of protection because they received death threats from the powerful Italian mafia organizations. Crime and governments are the main threats to journalists in the world, also because too often the two organizations merge with each other.
Meanwhile, if the U.S. and the UK edged up in 20th place now that are over the attempts of Bush and Blair to drive the information to their advantage, as well as Italy there are other Western nations that aren't doing very well.
France has fallen to 43rd place due to the adoption of a law to protect copyright, the Hadopi, worthy of the worst dictatorships, and a series of disputed judicial measures against the press. Slovakia fell from 7th to 44th place after a press law which provides direct control of the minister of culture and compulsory rectifications. In 44th place is also Spain, where the situation of press freedom in the Basque country is particularly serious for threats to journalists by ETA and for the closure of pro-separatist newspaper by the government, and where in other regions some journalists who investigated cases of corruption have been threatened. Bulgaria, not incidentally the source of inspiration of our premier, has the dubious distinction of being the worst nation of the European Union regarding press freedom, a 68th place due to the continued intimidation of journalists by both the political power and organized crime. Croatia and Turkey, candidates to enter Europe, dropped to about 78th and 122nd position after several cases of censorship, beatings and killings of journalists.
"It's disturbing to see European democracies such as France, Italy and Slovakia fall steadily in the ranking year after year - said the secretary of Reporters Sans Frontieres, Jean-Francois Julliard - Europe should be setting an example as regards civil liberties. How can you condemn human rights violations abroad if you don't behave irreproachably at home? ". The European Union is unfortunately demonstrating a complete inability to impose a democratic standard among member countries in substance and not just in appearance. At this rate we are heading towards a Europe united only by the willingness of governments to muzzle the press, deprive democracy and trample on human rights.
Dramatic situation in Russia, 153th place in a free fall, where the murders of Anna Politkovskaya and other journalists and human rights activists remain unpunished. Bad the situation in Israel, which had fallen to 93th place, 47 ranks less than in 2008. During the operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip 20 foreign journalists were wounded by the Israeli army, 3 were killed and everything has been done to silence the Goldstone report that accuses Israel of war crimes. Even in Israel itself 5 journalists were arrested and 3 imprisoned, often outside of any law.
Iran, after the ruthless repression against the opposition and the mass arrests of journalists and bloggers, goes down to the bottom of the index along with the states where press freedom is virtually nonexistent, and dozens of journalists are in jail without real charges: China, Laos, Cuba, Burma, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Somalia and Eritrea, the two nations whence flee the refugees that Italy rejects to Libya.
Francesco Defferrari
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