South Asia ranks low on worldwide press freedom index

found guilty of "insulting" public officials. The murder in July 2001 year of journalist Parmenio Medina was an exception in the history of the Costa Rican media.

India is ranked below several Latin American, African and Asian countries including Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. It recorded 2650 violations. Bhutan ranks fifth from the bottom, with 9075 violations. For Bangladesh and Pakistan the figures 4375 and 4467 respectively. Nepal recorded 6030 violations. Afghanistan is ranked 104^th with 3550 violations.

This index measures the amount of freedom journalists and the media have in each country and the efforts made by governments to see that press freedom is respected.

Excerpts from the report: "The 15 members of the European Union score well except for Italy, which was ranked 40th as news diversity in that nation was "under serious threat". Reporters Without Borders accused Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of "turning up the pressure on state-owned television stations," said he had "named his henchmen to help run them and continues to combine his job as head of government with being boss of a privately-owned media group".  The imprisonment of journalist Stefano Surace, convicted of press offences from 30 years ago, as well as the monitoring of journalists, searches, unjustified legal summonses and confiscation of equipment, are all responsible for the country¿s low ranking.

France, in 11th place overall, comes only 8th among EU countries because of several disturbing measures endangering the protection of journalists¿ sources and because of police interrogation of a number of journalists in recent months. Among those states hoping to join the EU, Turkey (99th) is very poorly placed. Despite the reform efforts of its government, aimed at   easing entry into the EU, many journalists are still being given prison sentences and the media is regularly censored. Press freedom is especially under siege in the southeastern part of the country.

Elsewhere in Europe, such as Belarus (124th), Russia (121st) and the former Soviet republics, it is still difficult to work as a journalist and several have been murdered or imprisoned. Grigory Pasko, jailed since December 2001 in the Vladivostok region of Russia, was given a four-year sentence for publishing pictures of the Russian Navy Pouring liquid radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan.

No Arab nation is among the top 50 on the index. Lebanon made the 56th
place and the press freedom situation in the region is not encouraging.  Iraq (130th) and Syria (126th) used every means to control the media and stifle any dissenting voice. In Libya (129th) and Tunisia (128th), no criticism of Col. Muammar Gaddafi or President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali is tolerated.

The political weakening of the Palestinian Authority (82nd) means it has made few assaults on press freedom. However, Islamic fundamentalist opposition media have been closed, several attempts made to intimidate and attack local and foreign journalists and many subjects remain taboo. The aim is to convey a united image of the Palestinian people and to conceal aspects such a demonstrations of support for attacks on Israel.

 The attitude of Israel (92nd) towards press freedom is ambivalent. Despite strong pressure on state-owned TV and radio, the government respects the local media¿s freedom of expression. However, in the West Bank and Gaza, Reporters Without Borders has   recorded a large number of violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees press freedom and which Israel has signed. Since the start of the Israeli army¿s   incursions into Palestinian towns and cities in March 2002, very many journalists have been roughed up, threatened, arrested, banned from moving around, targeted by gunfire, wounded or injured, had their press cards withdrawn or been deported.