Two provincial radio presenters gunned down in space of 24 hours

Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged President Gloria Arroyo and President-elect Benigno Aquino 3rd to react firmly to the murders of two provincial radio presenters in the past two days.

Two weeks before Aquino’s swearing-in, there are clearly people in positions of influence who think they can still hire hit-men to silence critical journalists with impunity.

“These two murders signal President Arroyo’s failure as regards the safety of journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Combating impunity and violence against the media must now be a priority for Aquino. The whole country’s credibility is at stake.”

The press freedom organization added: “Post-electoral violence against the media is not new, but these two murders in close succession are alarming. We call on the police and judicial authorities to assign additional personnel to the investigations and, in both cases, to seriously examine the possibility that the motive was linked to the victim’s work as a journalist.”

Desidario Camangyan, 52, the host of a discussion program on Sunshine FM, was gunned down while on the stage of a singing contest in Manay, in the southeastern province of Davao Oriental, on the evening of 14 June.

Police office Ariel Nueva said Camangyan was sitting on the stage when a gunman fired a single shot to his head and then left on foot. A police spokesman told Reporters Without Borders that a team had been formed to investigate the case and that they were looking closely at the possibility of a link to Camangyan’s journalistic work.

Colleagues at Sunshine FM, which is part of the Kalayaan Broadcasting Network, told journalists’ organizations that Camangyan was often critical in his program of local politicians and those responsible for deforestation. He leaves a widow and a six-year-old son.

Joselito Agustin of dzJC Aksyon Radyo, a local station, was riding a motorcycle with his nephew in Laoag City, in the northern province of Ilocos Norte when he was shot four times by two men on another motorcycle. His nephew was wounded. Aged 37, Agustin died last night in hospital.

A colleague, Nick Malasig, said Agustin had receiving threatening SMS messages. “Joselito suspected that a local politician had him in his sights, a politician he had accused of corruption in his program.” Sterling Blanco, the police officer in charge of the investigation, said shots were also fired at Agustin’s home last month.

A total of four journalists have been killed in the Philippines since the start of the month.

Need for press freedom reforms in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 18, 2010) - Reporters Without Borders said it is very concerned about the level of violence to which journalists continue to be exposed in the Philippines.

The latest incident was the attempted murder of radio presenter Jerome Tabanganay, who was shot twice outside his radio station in the northern province of Kalinga on May 14, four days after the country went to the polls.

“The toll from physical attacks on the press continues to mount in the final weeks of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration,” Reporters Without Borders said, calling for a thorough investigation into Tabanganay shooting. “A total of 137 journalists have been killed since she took office nine years ago. This shows that reforms aimed at promoting media freedom and protecting journalists are essential in the Philippines.”

The press freedom organization added: “We hope that the incoming government will do what is necessary to end the culture of impunity. We also appeal to President-elect Benigno Aquino to reestablish a positive climate for the media as soon as he takes office on July 1.”

The host of a news program on state-owned Radyo ng Bayan, Tabanganay was approached by a gunman as he arrived outside the station on the morning of May 14. He immediately started to run but the gunman managed to shoot him in the legs as he fled.

The attack came on the same day that Esmael Mangudadatu was declared the winner of the gubernatorial election in Maguindanao, a province in the southern Philippines. Mangudadatu's wife and two sisters were killed in massacre on November 23, 2009 in which 32 journalists lost their lives.

The massacre made the Philippines the world’s deadliest country for the media in 2009.

Reporters Without Borders also voiced its strong support for the call by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines to the outgoing government to bring forward a parliamentary vote on legislation that will decriminalize press offenses.

Arrest killers of Filipino broadcaster, media watchdog urges RP authorities

Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities deploy all the resources needed to identify, arrest and punish the perpetrators and instigators of radio journalist Godofredo Linao’s murder.

Linao was gunned down yesterday in Barobo, in Surigao del Sur province, on the southern island of Mindanao.

“Linao is the fourth journalist to be killed in less than two months in the Philippines, in what was the third murder of this kind,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Many of these murders have taken place in Mindanao, which has become one of the most dangerous regions in the world for radio journalists.”

The press freedom organization added: “The government must react by assigning more resources to the special Task Force for crimes of violence against the press and must stop balking at the arrest of those who mastermind these murders.”

Linao, 49, was shot four times in the back as he was about to set off on his motorcycle at night yesterday.

Radyo Natin manager Mar Alvizo said Linao hosted a programme on controversial subjects that was called “Tinitira niya talaga” (With Comment) and a program called “Kapamilya Walang Iwanan” on Magic Love FM.

He was also provincial deputy governor Librado Navarro’s spokesman and hoped to be candidate in the next local elections.

The police are investigating the circumstances and motive, which was probably political.

Popular radio journalist gunned down on Mindanao island

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by today’s murder of Ernesto Rollin, a presenter on local radio DxSY-AM in Ozamiz City, in Misamis Occidental province (on the southern island of Mindanao).

He was the first journalist to be killed this year in the Philippines, but the 99th since the return to democracy in 1986.

Aged about 40, Rollin was gunned down at close range at about 5:30 a.m. in a service station in nearby Oroquieta City by two men in caps and ski masks aboard a motorcycle, who checked to see he was dead before they drove away. Rollin had been on his way to host his 7:30-9:00 a.m. programme.

“We firmly condemn the murder of Rollin, the latest victim of a culture of violence and impunity that has ravaged the media in the Philippines for too long,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The motive has not yet been established but the modus operandi indicates it was a contract killing ordered by Rollin’s enemies and carried out by professional hit-men.”

The killers clearly knew that Rollin was in the habit of parking his car in the service station before catching a bus. His companion, Ligaya, said she heard the shots before seeing Rollin lying face-down on the ground. She rushed to him and tried to lift him up, but one of the triggermen fired a last in the back of his neck. This was almost certainly the fatal shot, Ligaya said, adding: “I had not expected that Ernie would be targeted.”

According to his colleagues, including the Ozamiz City representative of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Rollin was well-known for being outspoken. In recent programmes he had covered a controversial decree concerning health workers and the use of cars by officials in Misamis Occidental province.

Under-secretary for justice Ricardo Blancaflor announced that police superintendent Leonilo Cabug had been put in charge of a special unit tasked with identifying and arresting the suspects. “As of this moment, elements of the task force headed by Leonilo Cabug are investigating the incident to determine the possible motive behind the killing,” Blancaflor said.

Rollin had been a journalist for the past 10 years or so. His outspoken comments on his prime-time current affairs programme on DxSY-AM had made him popular in the province.

Filipino radio show host comes under fire near his home

Reporters Without Borders is worried by a murder attempt on radio journalist Cherie "Katribung Che" Indelible on 2 January in Kalibo, in Aklan province in the northwest of the Visayas region in the central Philippines.

Indelible works for local state-owned radio dyYM (Community Broadcasting Information System) as news director and programme host.

"With five journalists murdered, 2008 was one of the bloodiest years ever for the media in the Philippines, especially for radio presenters," itr said. "The authorities must ensure that Indelible is protected and must redouble their efforts to rein in the violence against the press."

Indelible was approaching his home on his motorcycle when he heard two gunshots apparently fired in his direction. He managed to enter his home and immediately called the police. When he ventured outside a few minutes later, two more shots were fired and he sought refuge inside a hospital located a few metres from his home.

The police found bullets and cartridges from .38 and .45 calibre guns near the house but did not catch the gunmen. However, they arrested three alleged accomplices who named two men as suspects. Both are reputedly involved in criminal activities in the area.

Indelible said he thought the murder attempt was linked to comments he made on the air. He received threats last year, mainly in connection with subjects discussed in his evening programme "Bira-Birada."

Reporters Sans Borders is outraged by killing of broadcaster in the Philippines

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the murder of Leo Mila, a Radyo Natin presenter in San Roque, in the central province of Northern Samar.

Mila was gunned down at around 7 p.m. Tuesday by an unidentified person outside the station's studios in San Roque.

"The repeated, targeted murders of radio presenters are a disgrace for the Philippines," Reporters Without Borders said. "The safety of all the victim's colleagues is in danger if nothing is done to rein in the current wave of violence. The impunity must stop and the guilty must be punished."

Mila's body was found by his colleagues in a grassy area a few metres from the entrance to the station. They said they heard several shots but did not go out at once because it was dark. His motorbike was found lying on its side, not far from the body.

The manager of the San Roque branch of Radyo Natin, Alice Cargo, said Mila recently hosted a debate about anomalies in the collection of money from the parents of students at a local high school. Police planned to question two of the school's teachers, she said.

Carolina L. Montilla, the head of the local branch of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), said Mila was known for speaking out and had received threats for criticising local corruption.

Aged 35, he presented a programme every morning in which he addressed complaints sent in by listeners. He also wrote articles for various regional newspapers and recently published a local magazine An Peryodista. He is survived by his wife and two children.

He was the eighth journalist to be killed since the start of the year in the Philippines and the second Radyo Natin presenter to be gunned down in less than a month. Aristeo Padrigao, a Radyo Natin host in Gingoog City, in Misamis Oriental province, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle outside a school on November 17 after dropping off one of his children.

Reporters Sans Borders Outraged By Murder Of Philippine Journalist

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by today's murder of radio presenter Aristeo Padrigao in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental province (in the north of Mindanao island), and calls on the authorities to give the police additional resources in order to be able to carry out a thorough and rapid investigation.

"Being a radio journalist continues to be a very dangerous activity in the Philippines because of the government's inability, in certain parts of the country, to combat organised crime, which is often linked to corrupt politicians. Given the nature of Padrigao's comments, especially about illegal logging, and the threats he had received, the police should work on the assumption that he was killed in connection with his work."

Padrigao was gunned down by two men aboard a motorcycle outside a school where he had just dropped off one of his children. The police and his colleagues said he had been threatened for criticising illegal logging on his morning programme "Sayre ang Katilingban" (Know Society) on Gingoog City-based FM Radyo Natin dxRS. He also wrote for the Mindanao Monitor Today, a regional daily.

Journalist Arrested After Writing Article About A Double Murder: Reporters San Border

Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association (BMA) have called for the immediate release of Saw Myint Than, chief reporter on the privately-owned magazine Flower News Journal who was arrested after writing an article about the murder of a couple.

Police arrested Saw Myint Than, aged 30, on 1st September 2008 then placed him in custody under the electronic telecommunications law.

“The article that led to Saw Myint Than’s arrest had been checked by the military censorship bureau, so we cannot understand why he is being hounded by the Rangoon police,” the worldwide press freedom organisation and the BMA said.

“Their objection seems to be that he made email contact with Burmese living abroad. We fear that yet again a Burmese journalist is being arrested and tried without access to a proper defence, simply for having covered an event,” the two organisations said.

The latest arrest brings to 12 the number of journalists and bloggers currently being held in Burma’s jails.

Police at the Kyauktada arrested Saw Myint Than on 1st September. A few days beforehand, on 26 August, he had been summoned by police over his article about the murder of a couple. He was manhandled and threatened by a police officer who told him that he had the power to arrest him and to close down the newspaper.

The report on the murder had however been passed by the military censorship bureau. Saw Myint Than was summoned again on the following day but the editor refused to let him go in order to protect him. But several sources said the management of Flower News Journal subsequently sacked him under official pressure.

A journalist in Rangoon told the two organisations that Saw Myint Than was being held under the Electronics Law that regulates emails and under an article in the criminal code that punishes criticism of the authorities.

Police who are holding him in solitary confinement at the station in Kyauktada also apparently acted because he had been in contact with Burmese organisations abroad. After his summons, he answered questions put to him by a journalist on Irrawaddy.org, based in Thailand.

In another case, the Censorship Bureau has banned all coverage of demonstrations taking place in Thailand. According to the website Irrawaddy.org, the local version of US cable channel CNN, put out by Family Entertainment, a release from the information ministry has also been stripped of all news about the situation in Thailand. The current head of the Thai government has voiced support for Burma’s military junta and said that international talks on the future of the country should be held without Aung San Suu Kyi.

Philippine Radio Broadcaster Still In Jail Despite Posting Bail: Reporters Sans Border

Reporters Without Borders deplored the continued detention of radio broadcaster Alex Adonis, of dxMF Bombo Radyo, despite his posting of bail after the Davao regional court said he could be freed on this condition. He was sentenced last year to four and a half years in prison for "slandering" a member of parliament.

"Adonis must be released because imprisonment for defamation is a violation of freedom of expression and an attempt to intimidate journalists," the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "His continued detention after the court ruling is an insult to the rule of law in the Philippines.

The Supreme Court must order his release and defamation must be decriminalised."
Adonis' colleagues, who helped him post bail, went to Davao prison on 26 May hours after Davao regional court Judge George Omelio had ordered him released on bail of 73 euros. But prison governor Benjo Tesoro told them he would not be freed until "higher correctional authorities" had been officially informed.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) called today on justice minister Raúl Gonzáles and national prisons chief Oscar Calderón (the "higher correctional authority" mentioned by Tesoro) to "rectify the error" that had "deprived Adonis of his constitutional rights." The NUJP supported a request to the Supreme Court today by Adonis' lawyer, Harry Roque, asking it to rule on the legality of the journalist's continued imprisonment.

A complaint was filed jointly by Adonis, the NUJP and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) at the end of last month to the UN High Commission on Human Rights condemning the "criminal" nature of the country's defamation law.

Lawyer Roque also asked for Adonis' trial to be reviewed by the Davao regional court in the light of a Supreme Court memorandum on 25 January this year recommending that judges fine rather than imprison people for defamation.

Adonis was sentenced in his absence on 31 January last year for "slandering" MP Prospero Nograles, the speaker of parliament and an ally of President Gloria Arroyo, by saying he had been seen fleeing naked from a Manila hotel after being caught by his reported paramour's husband. He was due for release on bail on 11 December last year after serving the minimum part of his sentence but remained in prison because of a new complaint filed against him by the woman mentioned in his commentaries.

Filipino Man Gets 12 Years For Shooting Radio Journalist

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 03, 2008) - International media watch dog Reporters Without Borders on Thursday hailed the 12-year prison sentence that a court in the central Philippines city of Cebu imposed on John Lloyd Ortiz on March 31 for the attempted murder of radio journalist Cirse Torralba in 2004.

“This is a positive step in the fight against impunity, even if Ortiz’s motive for shooting Torralba was not linked to his work as a journalist,” the press freedom organization said.

Ortiz fired several shots at Torralba as he was driving away from Angel Radio in Cebu on June 08, 2004. Although hit in the left shoulder, Torralba fired back with his own gun. He and his driver, Randy Libradilla, recognised Ortiz.

This, and the traces of gunpowder nitrates found on Ortiz’s hands, sufficed for judge Estela Alma Singco to convict him.

Ortiz’s motive was his suspicion that his girlfriend, who worked at the same radio station, was having an affair with Torralba. Dozens of journalists have been killed in relation to their work in the Philippines the past years.

Reporters Sans Border Condemns Jailing Of Filipino Journalist

Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of radio show host Julito Ucab, who has been held in Butuan City, on the southern island of Mindanao, since last month for failing to attend a court hearing on a defamation case dating back to 2004.

"After the jailing of Alex Adonis in Davao City, this is the second radio presenter to be detained in the Philippines as a result of a very questionable judicial procedure," the press freedom organization said.

"It is shocking that laws criminalizing defamation are still being applied. The United Nations have said very clearly that imprisoning a journalist for any length of time is disproportionate to the injury done to the plaintiff."

Ucab is being held in connection with a lawsuit brought against him in 2004 by an employee of the Butuan City architects office, Amado Jovellano, because a woman had accused Jovellano of rape on a programme hosted by Ucab on Butuan City's radio dzBC.

Also known as "Lito," Ucab now lives and works in Cagayan de Oro City, also on Mindanao island, and has been unable to attend hearings in Butuan since 2006. Back then, the court granted him provisional liberty after he paid bail of 330 Euros. But it finally issued an arrest warrant of the kind that does not admit the possibility of release on bail.

Cagayan de Oro press club president Jerry Orcullo said: "Journalists playing their role of society's watchdogs do not deserve to be treated as common criminals." Ucab's arrest is "clear proof of the brutal nature of the defamation law," he added.

On January 25, the supreme court urged judges to sentence persons found guilty of defamation to fines rather than prison sentences.

Journalists continue to be exposed to abusive defamation actions in the Philippines. Adonis, a young journalist working for Bombo Radyo in Davao, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for defaming Prospero Nograles, a parliamentarian and close ally of President Gloria Arroyo. He was convicted in absentia because he could not afford to pay for a lawyer or to attend all the hearings.

China: Journey To The Heart Of Internet Censorship

In partnership with Reporters Without Borders and Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a Chinese Internet expert working in IT industry has produced an exclusive study on the key mechanism of the Chinese official system of online censorship, surveillance and propaganda. The author prefers to remain anonymous.

On the eve of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which opens this week in Beijing, Reporters Without Borders and the Chinese Human Rights Defenders call on the government to allow the Chinese to exercise their rights to freedom of press, expression and information.

"This system of censorship is unparalleled anywhere in the world and is an insult to the spirit of online freedom," the two organisations said. "With less than a year to go before the Beijing Olympics, there is an urgent need for the government to stop blocking thousands of websites, censoring online news and imprisoning Internet activists."

This report shows how the CCP and the government have deployed colossal human and financial resources to obstruct online free expression. Chinese news websites and blogs have been brought under the editorial control of the propaganda apparatus at both the national and local levels.

The use of the Internet keeps growing in China. The country now has more than 160 million Internet users and at least 1.3 million websites. But the Internet's promise of free expression and information has been nipped in the bud by the Chinese government's online censorship and surveillance system.

"Journey to the Heart of Internet Censorship" explains how this control system functions and identifies its leading actors such the Internet Propaganda Administrative Bureau (an offshoot of the Information Office of the State Council, the executive office of the government), the Bureau of Information and Public Opinion (an offshoot of the party's Publicity Department, the former Propaganda Department) and the Internet Bureau (another Publicity Department offshoot).

The report also documents how the Beijing Internet Information Administrative Bureau has in practice asserted its daily editorial control over the leading news websites based in the nation's Capital. It gives many examples of the actual instructions issued by officials in charge of this bureau.

The last part of the report gives the results of a series of tests conducted with the mechanism of control through filtering keywords. These tests clearly show that, though there are still many disparities in the levels of censorship, the authorities have successfully coerced the online media into submission to censor themselves heavily on sensitive subjects.

This report recommends using proxy servers, exploiting the different levels of censorship between provinces or between levels in the administration and using new Internet technologies (blogs, discussion forums, Internet telephony etc.)

Reporters Without Borders Urges Filipino Police To Arrest Murderer Of Journalist

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Jun) - The international media watch group, Reporters Without Borders, on Tuesday voiced alarm about the plight of the local media after Vincent Sumalpong, a presenter on state-owned Radyo ng Bayan, was gunned down in Bongao, the capital of the southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi.

A colleague Vema Andam and companion Ruelan Hope Borja were also wounded by the hail of bullets. Sumalpong was the fourth journalist to be killed this year in the Philippines.
The police said witnesses identified a suspect, Nur Suang, from photos.

Suang, who has not yet been arrested, is also a suspect in the murder of a guest relations officer of a bar in Tawi-Tawi that Sumalpong had investigated. The identity of the possible mastermind is still unknown.

"The identification of a suspect should encourage the police and judicial authorities to cooperate closely to ensure that this is an exemplary investigation," Reporters Without Borders said. "The murderer and any instigators must without fail be arrested and brought to trial."

Reporters Without Borders regards the Philippines as one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press after Iraq. At least 53 journalists have been killed there since Gloria Arroyo took over as president in 2001.

Reporters Sans Borders Urged RP Authorities To Investigate Murder Of Journalist

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) - International media group Reporters Without Borders on Friday urged Filipino provincial and national authorities to thoroughly investigate the murder of photojournalist Dodie Nunez, of the regional newspaper Katapat, which had criticised corruption.

It said the killing May 21 may have had political motives.

Nunez was returning home in Cavite province, south of Manila, when three motorcyclists stopped the bus he was on and shot him dead, wounding another person.

"Katapat editor Archie Gadang stood for provincial governor in elections earlier this month, since when the winner, Ireneo Maliksi, has sued him for libel. During the campaign, the paper had accused Maliksi of corruption," it said.

Several Filipino journalists have been killed in the wake of elections in revenge for often fierce criticism of local politicians. Roberto Ramos, also of Katapat, was killed by motorcycle gunmen on November 20, 2005.

The Philippines is one of the most dangerous country in Asia for journalists and dozens have been killed over the years in line of duty. (Mindanao Examiner)

Int'l Media Group Hails Pinoy Journalists

MANILA – The international media watch group, Reporters Without Borders, welcomed Friday the news that Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of President Gloria Arroyo, has decided to drop all law suits against the country's journalists and publishers.

It hailed the exemplary campaign waged by Philippines' journalist organizations and called for press offenses to be decriminalized.

Arroyo on Thursday instructed his lawyers to end all "defamation" suits which he had launched since 2003 against a total of 46 journalists, in connection with articles alleging corruption in which he was reportedly implicated.

"In order to express my deep gratitude and in a gesture of peace towards the good people who have helped my family during this crisis, I have instructed my lawyers to drop the cases for defamation. This is a real opportunity for us to begin a positive and constructive relationship with those who accept my outstretched hand", he said after leaving the St. Luke’s hospital in Manila where he had undergone an operation.

In December 2006, journalists took their own legal action against the president's husband because of the abusive accusations he made against them.

The 17th World Press Freedom Day

Fight For Your Rights, Defend Press Freedom.

Twenty-four journalists and 5 media assistants have been killed so far this year and 124 journalists, 4 media assistants and 66 cyber-dissidents are in prison around the world and 13 journalists are being held hostage in various countries.

The new Reporters Without Borders worldwide "predators of press freedom" list.

This list of 34 "predators" comprises men and women who directly attack journalists or order others to. Most are top political figures but militia chiefs, leaders of armed groups and drug-traffickers are also included.

This year, the presidents of Laos and Azerbaijan joined the list of these major enemies of press freedom, along with Mexican drug cartels who killed several journalists.

The king of Nepal and the country's Maoist leaders were taken off the list after the national ceasefire between the two sides and a return to peace.

The predators and their faces and biographies can be seen on the website www.rsf.org.

For the first time, Reporters Without Borders is offering, through Google Earth, a virtual view of the homes, palaces, and workplaces of most of them. Click here: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/874561/an/0/page/0#874561.

The Journalists Memorial in Bayeux (Normandy) was inaugurated on May 2 in the French town of Bayeux and Reporters Without Borders have built the first Journalists Memorial in Europe.

Its stones bear the names of the 1,889 journalists killed around the world since 1944.

Several dozen journalists are killed every year working in war zones.

Reporters Without Borders is trying to reduce this toll by offering them legal and informative tools (a Practical Guide, a Safety Charter and training courses) as well as safety equipment, including: - the loan of bulletproof jackets, helmets and personal distress beacons, as well as free first-aid kits.

- special cheap insurance for freelance journalists and a hotline for those in trouble (SOS Presse, available round the clock at (33) 1 4777-7414).

The website www.rsf.org is now in six languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French and Persian)

The website www.rsf.org can now be read in Chinese. With nearly a year to go before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Reporters Without Borders wants to inform the Chinese people about the press freedom situation. China has 31 journalists and 51 cyber-dissidents in jail, making it the world's largest prison for defenders of freedom of expression.

The Arabic version of www.rsf.org also has new features and more content. The Middle East is the world's deadliest region for journalists because of the fighting in Iraq.

Reporters Without Borders is the first international human rights organization to open an office in the online virtual world Second Life, where visitors can find information about the organisation and press freedom in the world, as well as its latest publicity campaigns.

From May 3, they can also see there the photos and biographies of the 34 "predators of press freedom" named by the organisation. To find this office, type "Reporters sans frontières" in the Second Life search engine.

The new book of photographs "100 photos of the Cannes Film Festival for press freedom" will be available on 3 May, on sale everywhere for Euro 8.90, in aid of Reporters Without Borders.

It includes more than 100 pictures by the photographers who have recorded the event since 1946. Jean-Pierre Lavoignat, the longstanding editor of Studio Magazine, with present the book at the press conference. It is produced with support from the Film Festival.

End Impunity In Philippines: Reporters Sans Borders

ON THE EVE OF THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY of the first killing of a journalist during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's presidency, Reporters Without Borders wrote to Arroyo Friday urging her to take energetic measures to put an end to impunity for the murders of journalists.

Slain on February 24, 2001, Muhammad Yusop was the first of many journalists to be killed since Arroyo became president. Reporters Without Borders is backing the national day of action against impunity organized by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

The anniversary has coincided with the publication of the findings of the Melo Commission and an investigation by the United Nations special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, Philip Alston.

Everything points to the involvement of certain elements in the security forces in the murders of journalists and political activists.

The letter called on President Arroyo to rapidly take the decisions that will enable the eradication of this kind of violence. "We are convinced that only way to consolidate the rule of law in the Philippines and to reinforce press freedom is to prosecute those responsible," the organization said.

Reporters Sans Borders Releases 2007 Report On RP Press Freedom

The International media watch dog, Reporters Sans Borders, has released Thursday its 2007 Annual Press Freedom Report that showed the Philippines failed to stem the wave of violence against Filipino journalists.

It said despite new arrests of murderers, Philippine authorities failed to stem the wave of violence against journalists. At least six were killed in 2006. And the press also found itself facing a new enemy: José Miguel Arroyo, the husband of President Gloria Arroyo, who took out a raft of defamation suits.

While her husband was lodging "defamation" complaints against more than 40 journalists, President Arroyo said, on 18 November 2006, that her government was "respectful of press freedom, an institution of Philippines democracy".

On the same day, journalist Ellen Tordesillas, a stern critic of the government received an email warning her: "Your days are numbered". Murders, assaults, arrests, abusive law suits and censorship were the hallmark of 2006 in this country.

The avalanche of suits brought by the "first gentleman" in a country where defamation is still a criminal offence, put the liberty of scores of journalists in danger. In October, eight members of the management on privately-owned daily Malaya narrowly escaped arrest after publishing an editorial accusing the head of state's husband of "corruption".

In a total of 43 suits brought against journalists, José Miguel Arroyo claimed a total of 70 million pesos (almost 1.1 million euros) in damages. In December, journalists' organisations counter-attacked by bringing a complaint in their turn against the president's husband for violating press freedom and demanding one peso in damages for each Philippine citizen.

Faced with a rebellion within the army, the president declared a state of emergency, on 24 February 2006. Several generals were locked up and the crackdown extended to the opposition press. Police searched The Daily Tribune on the same day and seized documents.

At least six journalists were murdered while doing their job in 2006, the majority of them were presenters on one of the country's very numerous FM radio stations. In the Philippines, local stations sell airtime to private individual known as "block timers" who can then put out their own commercial or political programmes.

Rolly Canete, gunned down in January 2006 in the city of Pagadian, Zamboanga del sur province in the south, presented programmes on local radio on behalf of a deputy and his wife, the province's governor.

Hit-men sometimes show extreme determination. Fernando Batul, commentator on dyPR radio was shot dead on his way to work on Palawan Island, south-west of Manila in May. A few weeks earlier he narrowly escaped a murder bid in which two grenades were thrown at his home.

His assailants had left a letter advising him to "hold your tongue". A police officer was arrested a few days later and the instigators were reportedly local politicians.

The local press can also be targeted in the same way. Orlando Mendoza, aged 58, editor of the newspaper Tarlac Patro in Luzon province was murdered in April after receiving threats from a paramilitary group.

Gloria Arroyo's administration has been widely criticised for its inability to act against the murderers of opposition and human rights activists. Some politically committed journalists have been victims of this political violence as in the case of Mazel and George Vigo who were killed on Mindanao Island in June. Community media defending the rights of peasant farmers were also targeted.

In July, armed men torched a building housing Radyo Cagayano, one of whose presenters, a peasant union leader, was killed a few months later. The military is suspected of being behind these attacks.Police and the courts have chalked up some successes in their struggle against the murderers of journalists. Four men found guilty of the murder of Marlene Esperat, a journalist specialising in corruption, who was killed in March 2005, were sentenced to life imprisonment.

But collusion inside the justice system allowed those who ordered the killing to escape court for the time being. On the other hand, a former police officer suspected of being the "brains" behind the June 2004 murder of journalist Ely Binoya, was acquitted in March.

The regional court in General Santos, southern Philippines, said that there was insufficient evidence against him. There were at least 25 murder attempts and assaults and ten arrests during 2006. Censorship also bit deeper, often because of local politicians seeking to silence opposition media.

In March the mayor of Valencia City, south of Manila, ordered the closure of radio DXVR, some of whose presenters were close to their political opponents. In the capital, a programme of reports on ABS-CBN was banned by the regulatory authority over the controversial subject of drug use in the country.

Finally the authorities in Aurora province, north-east of Manila, failed to mount any search for radio presenter Joey Estriber, a specialist on environmental issues, who was kidnapped in March. He had spoken out against illegal logging in the region. (Reporters Without Borders)

Reporters Without Borders Honors Journalists

The 15th Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France prizewas presented in Paris on December 2006

The prize was awarded to a journalist, a media, a press freedom defender and a cyber-dissident. The 2006 laureates are:

- U WIN TIN (Burma) in the "Journalist" category- NOVAYA GAZETA (Russia) in the "Media" category- JOURNALISTE EN DANGER (Democratic Republic of Congo) in the "Defender of press freedom" category- GUILLERMO FARINAS HERNANDEZ (Cuba) in the "Cyber dissident" category

The 15th Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France 2006 prize is awarded to:

THE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR who, through their work, attitude or principled stands, demonstrated a strong commitment to press freedom.

The laureate is 76-year-old Burmese journalist U Win Tin, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "subversion" and "anti-government propaganda" in 1989. After more than 17 years in prison and despite faltering health, the country's most renowned journalist will not give way. In his special cell at Insein jail, near Rangoon, Saya, "The Sage", as his comrades call him, refuses to renounce his commitment to the National League for Democracy, robbed by the military junta of a landslide electoral victory in 1990.

He continues to call for the unconditional release of thousands of prisoners of opinion held in the country's prisons. U Win Tin was one of the political mentors of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, also deprived of her freedom. U Win Tin, who has been weakened by a urinary infection and two heart attacks, is only allowed two visits per month.

The other 2006 nominees in this category were Dawit Isaac (Eritrea) and Hollman Felipe Morris (Colombia).

A MEDIA which exemplifies the struggle for the right to inform the public and to be informed.

The prize goes to Russian bi-weekly Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper for which Anna Politkovskaya was working when she was murdered in Moscow on 7 October 2006. Novaya Gazeta carries out investigations regularly exposing corruption in the Russian administration. Also highly critical of government policy, the newspaper carried numerous reports by Anna Politkovskaya on Chechnya, but also on developments in Russian society. The founders of the "New Newspaper" set themselves the objective of being independent and of extending its circulation throughout Russia.The other 2006 nominees in this category were the Democratic Voice of Burma (Burma), Uthayan (Sri Lanka) and An-Nahar (Lebanon).

A DEFENDER of press freedom

The prize is awarded to the organization "Journalist in danger" (JED), based in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Founded in 1997 by journalists Donat M'Baya Tshimanga and Tshivis Tshivuadi, JED is one of Africa's most active and respected press freedom organizations. JED is particularly combative when it comes to reminding easily corrupted journalists of their duty. It is also in the vanguard of the struggle to get the government to reform unfair and illiberal legislation under which journalists are regularly sent to the capital's Penitentiary and Re-education centre in the capital.The other 2006 nominees in this category were the Centre for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET, Mexico), Tadjigoul Begmedova (Turkmenistan) and Anwar al-Bunni (Syria).

A CYBER-DISSIDENT prevented from informing the public online

The prize is awarded to Guillermo Fariñas Hernández (Cuba), head of the independent news agency Cubanacán Press. In February 2006, he began a hunger and thirst strike to demand access to a "free Internet" for all Cubans. The authorities forcibly hospitalized him and put him on a drip to bring his protest to an end, a step which led to even greater international media interest. Guillermo Fariñas has said he is ready to die so that his compatriots can finally have the right to be informed. He has been in intensive care since 20 August because of kidney and heart problems. The authorities did offer to allow him "limited" access to the Internet, but he refused, explaining that he could not honorably exercise his profession as a journalist by only looking at news that had been filtered by the government. He is continuing his work at Cubanacán and has become one of the leading voices among Cuban opposition journalists.The other 2006 nominees in this category were Habib Saleh (Syria) and Yang Zili (China).

Reporters Without Borders pays tribute to Gebran Tuweni Gebran Tuweni, publisher of the daily An-Nahar, was murdered in a car bombing in Beirut on 12 December 2005. He was the third journalist - after Samir Kassir and May Shidiac - to be targeted during 2005. The investigation into his death has now stalled, because of political obstacles and violence which continues to rock the country.

Dancer Yalda Younes will perform at the ceremony in tribute to this major Lebanese press figure in the play NO, written by Zad Moultaka in honour of the Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir, created in Beirut on 2 June 2006, to mark the first anniversary of his murder.

The Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France prize has been awarded since 1992

In honoring a journalist, a media, a press freedom defender and a cyber-dissident, Reporters Without Borders and the Fondation de France draws the attention of public opinion to the wide range of attacks on the right to inform the public and to be informed and for the need to actively support press freedom.

Each prize is worth 2, 500 Euros.

Since it was set up, the Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France prize has been awarded to Zlatko Dizdarevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina - 1992), Wang Juntao (China - 1993), André Sibomana (Rwanda - 1994), Christina Anyanwu (Nigeria - 1995), Isik Yurtçu (Turkey - 1996), Raúl Rivero (Cuba - 1997), Nizar Nayyuf (Syria - 1998), San San Nweh (Burma - 1999), Carmen Gurruchaga (Spain - 2000), Reza Alijani (Iran - 2001), Grigory Pasko (Russia - 2002), Ali Lmrabet (Morocco - 2003), Hafnawi Ghoul (Algeria- 2004), Zhao Yan (China - 2005).

Several winners have been released just a few weeks or months after receiving their prize. Among them was the Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, awarded the prize on 10 December 2003 and freed on 7 January 2004, Russian journalist Grigory Pasko, laureate in December 2002 and released in January 2003, Burmese journalist San San Nweh, a prize-winner in December 1999 and released in 2001.

The Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France prize is awarded by an international jury made up of the 35 following members:

Ekram Shinwari (Afghanistan), Rubina Möhring (Austria), Nayeem Islam Khan (Bangladesh), Zhanna Litvina (Belarus), Olivier Basille (Belgium), Colette Braeckman (Belgium), Sebastião Salgado (Brazil ), Maung Maung Myint (Burma), François Bugingo (Canada), Carlos Cortes Castillo (Colombia), Miriam Leiva (Cuba), Donat M'Baya Tshimanga (Democratic Republic of Congo), Domenico Amha-Tsion (Eritrea), Francis Charhon (France), Laurent Joffrin (France), Elise Lucet (France), Pierre Veilletet (France), Sabine Christiansen (Germany), Michael Rediske (Germany), Mimmo Candito (Italy), Sailab Mahsud (Pakistan), Ricardo Uceda (Peru), Michel Kik (Qatar), Mircea Toma (Romania), Alexey Simonov (Russia), Omar Faruk Osman (Somalia) Fernando Castelló (Spain), Maria Dolores Masana Argüelles (Spain), Vicente Verdu (Spain), Eva Elmsater (Sweden), George Gordon-Lennox (Switzerland), Gérald Sapey (Switzerland), Sihem Bensedrine (Tunisia) Ethan Zuckerman (United States).(Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières)

Murder Attempt Against Radio Presenter

Reporters Without Borders also urges investigation into death of Antony Licyayo of Radyo Cagayano...

In less than a week a radio presenter has been badly wounded in a murder attempt on Panay island, central Philippines and a peasant leader, who was a producer of a community radio, has been murdered on Luzon island in the north of the country.

"Once again, journalists who put themselves at the service of a politician or a cause, like that of the peasant farmers have fallen victim to contract killers who operate with impunity", said Reporters Without Borders."We urge the local and national authorities to probe these violent attacks against radio presenters. The Philippines police must continue their efforts to get these killers convicted, as happened recently in the case of Marlene Esperat", the organization said.

Arnie Pullan, presenter on local radio MBC-Radyo Natin and municipal councilor Butch Aclaro were seriously injured when they were shot at by two people riding a motorbike in Estancia, Panay island, central Philippines on 1st December.

Pullan was taken to hospital in a critical condition with head injuries. He presented the program "The Mayor's hour", in support of the city mayor, Rene Codero, who immediately accused his political opponents of having instigated the murder attempt.

In the Philippines, local radios sell time slots to private individuals known as "block timers" who can then broadcast their own commercial or political programs.

Peasant leader Antony Licyayo, 38, was murdered by an unknown assailant as he was leaving for work on 27 November with his 18-month old son in his arms. His organization supported the community radio Radyo Cagayano in Baggao, Luzon island.

The global community radio body AMARC said the radio exposed the harsh life of the peasant and military corruption. It previously came under attack on 2 July when masked and armed men torched the broadcast studios. (Reporters Sans Borders)