In several countries, journalists are fighting for press freedom, as in Russia, Algeria and Poland, in front of powers that want to control their image in order to prevent or silence any dispute.
In Russia, journalists classified as “foreign agents”
The Russians will be called to the polls from Friday, September 17th to Sunday, September 19th, to elect their new deputies. These legislative elections are the subject of debate: elections are always complicated in this country, not only because many opposition parties cannot present a candidate, but also because the independent media are often hampered in their work.
Most were classified “foreign agent“, a very pejorative name inherited from the Soviet Union. It does not automatically lead to the closure of these media, but subjects them to bureaucracy. They must also declare themselves as “foreign agent” in all your publications or even on social media. So the repercussions are mostly economic. State-owned companies no longer advertise there, like private companies that do business with these public groups, for fear of being frowned upon. Time’s economy-oriented website was forced to close for lack of advertisers.
There is no direct impact on voting, at least for now. But it’s a way for authorities to limit the turmoil after the Belarusian example in the summer of 2020. The outgoing president Alexander Lukashenko was largely re-elected. The opposition and part of the population contested the results, suspected of being fixed. The demonstrations organized since then were repressed by the authorities. Russian leaders want to avoid an unborn protest, explains political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann. “The result must be accepted by society, not as fair and honest, but as acceptable. To do this, there must be no structures or organizations that can first report fraud, then call directly or indirectly to organize demonstrations, and finally cover these events when they occur.” And with the shadow of Vladimir Putin’s withdrawal already hanging over these elections, power circles make it difficult for independent media.
“In Algeria in 2021, one word can land you in prison”
Two journalists were arrested on Sunday, September 12, in Algeria. The charges are pretty much the same each time: “attack on national unity, membership of a terrorist organization, dissemination of false information“. Often accuses surrealist, but the Algerian power is not ashamed.
Algeria now ranks 46th out of 180 in the world press freedom ranking compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The country has lost 27 places since 2015. The crackdown has clearly accelerated with Hirak. Power, destabilized by this massive and unprecedented popular protest, responded by intimidating journalists like Khaled Drareni. Has become the emblem of the struggle for press freedom in Algeria, he has an appointment next week in court. He founded an independent news website for which he got an interview with Emmanuel Macron, then a candidate for the 2017 presidential election. An interview in which the future President of the Republic referred to the “crimes against humanity” of French colonization.
A year ago, Khaled Drareni was sentenced to two years in prison simply for doing his job. The regime accuses him of covering the Hirak in particular. The journalist then benefited, after several months of detention, from a presidential pardon. But justice does not give up, declares Khaled Drareni “in Algeria in 2021, one word could land him in prison. We must be aware of everything we say or write”
In Poland, journalists are prevented from doing their work
A petition is in heart news in Poland. It was launched by 30 Polish newsrooms protesting against the establishment of a state of emergency on the Belarusian border. It was enacted after the sudden increase in the number of migrants crossing the border illegally. These migrants, mainly from the Middle East, were encouraged by the Alexander Lukashenko regime to cross the borders of the European Union. To protect itself, Poland decided to build a wall and declare a state of emergency on the border. Consequently, journalists are prohibited from entering the area and cannot recount the human tragedies that are taking place there, in particular the story of about thirty migrants surrounded on one side by the border guards Polish and, on the other, Belarusians. They live there in conditions considered inhumane by NGOs and it is now very difficult to contact them.
According to Reporters Without Borders, since the Nationalist Party came to power, Poland has lost 42 positions in the world press freedom rankings. The country is in 60th place, was in 18th place six years ago. The acquisition of the power of public television became a means of government propaganda and contributed greatly to it. Next, a media law, currently under debate in Parliament, seeks to prohibit a company outside the European Economic Area from owning more than 49% of shares in a Polish media. A bill that directly targets the country’s largest private television, TVN. Very critical of the government, its continuous news channel TVN24 has yet to receive an extension of its concession, which expires in nine days, from the Polish CSA.
