Forced being used to restrict media coverage of street protests

The authorities are still responding with violence to the continuing street demonstrations in Libya and Yemen and, in an attempt to prevent the circulation of images of the protests, they are still using force against the journalists who try to cover them.

Yemen

Three plainclothes men using a vehicle with police licence plates stormed the headquarters of Union of Journalists in Sanaa on the morning of 26 February, insulting and threatening the journalists who were there. The head of the union, Marwan Damaj, said he filed a complaint with the interior ministry, which denied any role in the incident. A crew working for the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera was prevented from covering a sit-in at Change Square in Sanaa on 26 February. The station said the Yemeni authorities told its correspondents, Abdulhaq Sadah and Ahmed Zaidan, to leave the country immediately. It was the second time the authorities have tried to ban these two journalists from covering the anti-government protests taking place in several of Yemen’s cities. The local independent news website, Masdar Online, one of the country’s most popular sites, was blocked by the authorities on 26 February for the fifth time. It has ben providing a great deal of coverage of the recent demonstrations in Aden, Sanaa and other governorates, accompanying its reports with videos. In a statement, the site said it has been the target of many cyber-attacks in the past. Aden province security forces physically attacked a cameraman working for the opposition TV station Sahil on 25 February, and briefly detained four reporters – Marzaq Yassin, Abdelrahman Anis, Bassem Sha’bi and Fares Jalal – while they were covering a demonstration. Reporters Without Borders hails the firm position taken by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who said in statement today: “People have the legitimate right to express their grievances and demands to their government (...) Violent responses, in breach of international law, do not make the protesters go away and only serve to exacerbate their frustration and anger.”

Libya

The signal of the TV satellite Nilesat, which includes Al-Hurra, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, has been jammed since 23 February. These three stations have been providing live coverage of the recent unrest and have been interviewing Libyan residents by telephone. Several foreign journalists have been able to enter Libya across the Egyptian border. The Libyan authorities nonetheless continue to impose a news blackout on the unfolding events and often blame the unrest on the foreign media. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi described foreign TV stations as “stray dogs” on 21 February. The foreign minister said journalists who enter Libya “illegally” would be treated by the pro-Gaddafi forces as agents working for Al-Qaeda.

Gaza Strip

The security forces yesterday prevented many journalists from covering the sit-in which young people staged in the Square of the Unknown Soldier in the Gaza City neighbourhood of Rimal in order to appeal for reconciliation among Palestinians. No photographer was allowed to take photos. A campaign called “The People Want the End of Divisions” has been launched on Facebook.