Depredador(a)

MIN AUNG HLAING

Presidente del Consejo Administrativo Estatal de la República de la Unión de Myanmar desde el 1 de febrero de 2021

Depredador desde 2011

Birmania, 140°/180 en la Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MÉTODO DE DEPREDACIÓN: el terror

Durante diez años mordió las uñas... En 2011, el general Min Aung Hlaing se convirtió en comandante en jefe de los ejércitos. Ese mismo año, la junta, que había gobernado Birmania con mano de hierro durante casi medio siglo, se disolvió y permitió que floreciera una prensa libre y dinámica. Pero el jefe de los ejércitos nunca ha dejado de estar atento a los medios de comunicación, administrando la censura y la desinformación. De hecho, Min Aung Hlaing desempeñó una función central en la difusión de información falsa y discursos de odio antes del genocidio de las poblaciones rohingya, en 2017. Activando sus redes dentro de la policía y en los tribunales, está empeñado en censurar cualquier forma de información independiente sobre el asunto. A decir verdad, y teniendo en cuenta el control del general Min en la arena política y mediática, el golpe de Estado que dio el 1 de febrero de 2021 es una sorpresa relativa. De la noche a la mañana, el regreso de los militares al poder supuso que Birmania se encontrase en la misma situación que bajo la junta anterior, cuando reinaba para los medios de comunicación el régimen de censura previa y cuando los reporteros eran detenidos en camionetas repletas, luego torturados y encerrados en jaulas para perros. De esta forma, desde principios de 2021, el régimen del general Min se ha sumergido en una espiral de represión contra la prensa libre, con todos los medios independientes cerrados, decenas de periodistas encarcelados y un control absolutamente tajante de toda la información. El terror ha vuelto.

OBJETIVOS PREDILECTOS: los testigos del horror

Cuando solo era el jefe de los ejércitos, Min Aung Hlaing ya demostraba su formidable poder para indignar a la prensa libre. El caso más emblemático es el de dos periodistas de Reuters, Wa Lone y Kyaw Soe Oo, que habían logrado investigar la masacre de civiles rohingya en 2017. Lo pagaron muy caro. Víctimas de una maquinación político-judicial, fueron condenados a siete años de prisión solo por intentar hacer su trabajo. Esta decisión tomada por un único hombre, el general Min, a pesar de todas las condenas internacionales, tuvo un efecto devastador para toda la profesión, que entendió lo que costaría abordar los temas que Min Aung Hlaing consideraba prohibidos. Sin embargo, después del golpe de estado de 2021, los periodistas actuaron de manera heroica al cubrir durante semanas las protestas contra la junta. Detenidos y torturados, fueron por desgracia las primeras víctimas de su espantoso aparato represivo.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: la negación

"Los medios (...) juegan un papel crucial en el fortalecimiento de la libertad de expresión para la democracia [y] mejoran la transparencia del gobierno gracias al conocimiento del pueblo". (Comunicado del 3 de mayo de 2021, dos semanas después de que todos los medios de comunicación no controlados por la administración de Min Aung Hlaing fuesen obligados a cerrar).

Publié le 05.07.2021