As elections are held in more than 100 countries worldwide in 2024, suppression and threats against the media are expanding.
According to the annual Global Press Freedom Index survey conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), political indicators among the five indicators have fallen by 7.6 points on average worldwide. The world is falling into the crisis of press freedom.
Analysts say that more governments are gagging them from fulfilling their role in ensuring the public's rights to various news and information amid political upheaval.
RSF is concerned that "hostile actions are unfolding, such as weakening or bullying the role of journalists or instrumentalizing media through disinformation campaigns."
In particular, the damage to journalists during the war is beyond imagination. Since October last year, the Israeli Defense Forces have killed more than 100 Palestinian journalists, including at least 22 during their operations.
As of May 2024, 12 journalists were killed during elections and wars, and 570 were imprisoned.
Argentina's Javier Milay shut down the country's largest telecom operator in symbolic action after winning the election.
Like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, violence against journalists is often accompanied in the election process. Military regimes that have seized power in coups in the Sahel, especially Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, continue to strengthen their grip on the media and disrupt journalists' activities.
It is also of concern that in the absence of regulations, generative AI has begun to be used for false political agitation. Currently, deepfakes are in a leading position influencing the election process.
Such concerns have been demonstrated in audio deepfakes by journalist Monika Todova during the Slovak parliamentary elections. This is an example of an attack on journalists with the intention of influencing the outcome of a democratic election.
Many governments are restricting access, blocking accounts, and suppressing messages that carry news and information while strengthening control over social media and the Internet.
Vietnam detains journalists who speak their minds on social media. China is worse. In addition to detaining more journalists than any other country in the world, China continues to have strict control over information channels. Censorship and surveillance policies are implemented, regulating online content, and limiting the spread of information that is considered different from the direction of the Communist Party.
Press freedom is also threatened in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan are strengthening censorship while imitating the Russian regime's press suppression.
In the Americas, fears of reprisals have made it difficult for journalists to cover topics related to organized crime, corruption and the environment.
Middle East and North Africa, the situation is at a "very serious" level in almost half of the countries. Not to mention Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine where the war is going on. Journalists have to go to the scene preparing for death.
The issue of Julian Assange's repatriation to the United States, dubbed the "symbol of press freedom," remains unresolved.
In April 2019, Assange was dragged kicking and screaming from the building by London police under a extradition warrant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Assange, who was taken away by London police, is spending the day isolated in a 3×2-metre cell in Belmarsh prison in south-east London.
The U.S. has accused Assange of putting his life in danger by releasing secret military documents in 2010 and 2011. He has been charged with 18 criminal charges related to the circulation of confidential data and diplomatic cables by his organization. If convicted, he could face up to 175 years in prison, which is much harsher than the U.K.
Assange's team argues that he is being extradited for political reasons and that extradition to the United States violates the European Convention on Human Rights.
U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture Alice Jill Edwards urged the British government in February to stop repatriation, reiterating her concern about the "possibility of a completely disproportionate sentence" in the United States.
Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard warned that if Assange is repatriated, there is a risk of serious abuse, such as long-term solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition of torture or other unfair treatment.
Many are expressing concern about the widespread impact on press freedom around the world if Assange is repatriated to the United States.
Governments of the world should reconsider their perception of the media.
Gagging the media will inevitably lead to corruption in the regime. Expanding the crackdown on the media will eventually lead to tragedy for both the regime and its people.
/ Free Press Forum (Chair: Park Jung Kyoo)
yoojin@wikileaks-kr.org
