Prédateur

MIN AUNG HLAING

Président du Conseil administratif d'État de la République de l’Union du Myanmar depuis le 1er février 2021

Prédateur depuis 2011

Birmanie, 140e/180 au Classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 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

MODE DE PRÉDATION : la terreur

Pendant dix ans, il a rongé son frein… C’est en 2011 que le général Min Aung Hlaing est devenu commandant en chef des armées. La même année, la junte, qui avait gouverné la Birmanie d’une main de fer pendant près d’un demi-siècle, s’est auto-dissoute, laissant une presse libre et dynamique se développer. Mais le chef des armées n’a jamais cessé de garder un œil inquisiteur sur les médias, ménageant censure et désinformation. Min Aung Hlaing joue en effet un rôle central dans la diffusion de fausses informations et de discours de haine en amont du génocide des populations rohingyas, en 2017. Activant ses réseaux au sein de la police et dans les tribunaux, il est à la manœuvre pour censurer toute forme d’information indépendante sur le sujet. À vrai dire, compte tenu de l’emprise que le général Min avait gardé sur la sphère politico-médiatique, le putsch qu’il a mené le 1er février 2021 n’est qu’une demi-surprise. Du jour au lendemain, avec le retour des militaires au pouvoir, la Birmanie s’est retrouvée dans la même situation que sous la junte précédente - lorsque régnait, pour les médias, le régime de la censure préalable et lorsque les reporters étaient arrêtés par fourgons entiers, puis torturés et enfermés dans des cages pour chien. Ainsi, depuis début 2021, le régime du général Min s’enfonce dans une spirale de répression de la presse libre, avec la totalité des médias indépendants fermés, des dizaines de journalistes emprisonnés et un contrôle absolument drastique de toute information. Le retour de la terreur.

CIBLES FAVORITES : les témoins de l’horreur

Alors qu’il n’était que chef des armées, Min Aung Hlaing avait fait montre de son redoutable pouvoir de nuisance contre la presse libre. Le cas le plus emblématique est celui de deux journalistes de Reuters, Wa Lone et Kyaw Soe Oo, qui avaient réussi à enquêter sur le massacre de civils rohingyas en 2017. Ils ont payé le prix fort : victimes d’une machination politico-judiciaire, ils ont été condamnés à sept ans de prison pour avoir simplement tenté de faire leur travail. Cette décision, prise par un seul homme, le général Min, en dépit de toutes les condamnations internationales, a eu un effet dévastateur sur l’ensemble de la profession - qui a compris ce qu’il lui coûterait d’aborder les sujets considérés par Min Aung Hlaing comme interdits. Pourtant, après le putsch de 2021, les reporters ont agi en héros en couvrant, pendant des semaines, les manifestations hostiles à la junte. Arrêtés, torturés, ils ont malheureusement été les premières victimes de son effroyable appareil répressif.

DISCOURS OFFICIEL : le déni

"Les médias (...) jouent un rôle crucial en renforçant la liberté d’expression pour la démocratie [et] en améliorant la transparence du gouvernement grâce à la connaissance du peuple.” (Communiqué du 3 mai 2021, deux semaines après que tous les organes de presse non contrôlés par l’administration de Min Aung Hlaing ont été forcés de fermer.)

Publié le 05.07.2021