FOTP 2013 Full Report

trial of Ferney Tabasco, a former congressman accused of masterminding the 2002 murder of themanaging editor of the newspaper La Patria, Orlando Sierra. The government operates anextensive program that provided protection to scores of journalists in 2012, although reportershave criticized the program’s effectiveness and occasionally accused the bodyguards of spying.Media ownership is highly concentrated among a few groups of private investors, andtelevision is the dominant news medium. Independent and privately owned print and broadcastmedia are generally free to express a variety of opinions and cover sensitive issues withoutofficial restrictions. All print media in Colombia are privately owned. The government operatesthree public television stations, but the two private free-to-air networks dominate the ratings. Thepattern in radio is similar, with the two public national radio stations attracting a small audienceshare. There are hundreds of community radio stations, which sometimes face pressure from thegovernment and armed groups. Local media depend heavily on advertising by regional andmunicipal government agencies to stay in business, encouraging collusion among media owners,journalists, and officials. A 2012 bill mandating a 30 percent reduction in official advertising,intended to combat corruption, could affect the economic viability of some local media outlets.There are few government restrictions on access to the internet, and 49 percent of thepopulation had regular access in 2012. An increasing share of the public is using socialnetworkingwebsites such as Facebook, and digital communication is proving an effective toolagainst censorship, corruption, and organized crime for many journalists.ComorosStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 14Political Environment: 20Economic Environment: 15Total Score: 49Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 54,PF 50,PF 50,PF 48,PF 48,PFThe 2001 constitution protects freedom of speech and of the press, but the Comoran governmentpartially restricts these freedoms in practice. Journalists are subject to harsh defamation laws,and self-censorship is reportedly widespread. In April 2012, police detained journalist MmadiMoindjie for 24 hours on libel charges, after the newspaper he worked for, the private daily Al-Balad, published a picture of presidential adviser Issa Soule without his consent.The authorities in past years had arrested journalists, seized newspapers, and silencedbroadcast outlets for reports that were found to be objectionable, although these practices havebecome less common in recent years. However, in April 2012, Interior Minister HamadaAbdallah withdrew the monthly supplement from the state daily Al-Watwan and suspendedmanaging editor Pétan Mouignihazi. The supplement included a special report on governmentcorruption and waste. In March 2011, two journalists had been charged with “publishing falsenews” by a public prosecutor in the capital Moroni, located on Grand Comore. The chargesstemmed from reports that then vice president Ikililou Dhoinine’s inauguration as PresidentAhmed Abdallah Sambi’s successor might be delayed. The prosecutor alleged that these reports,129