FOTP 2013 Full Report

Threats against the media eased somewhat when a transitional civilian government wasinstalled in late May. However, an attack on military barracks in late October resulted inrenewed tensions. The transitional government, which accused former colonial power Portugalof masterminding what it called an attempted countercoup, ordered the expulsion of RTP’sBissau bureau chief, Fernando Teixeira Gomes; the deportation order was later reversed. Inanother incident, the armed forces’ chief of staff directly threatened reporters at a pressconference, saying, “Any journalist who asks questions about former president Nino Vieira’s[2009] assassination will not leave this barracks alive. I will kill him. We are at war.” Silvareported receiving death threats in late October from soldiers who came to his home, and theblogger was forced to go into hiding.In addition to the coup-related repression, media workers in recent years haveexperienced increasingly harsh treatment at the hands of government and military officials, aswell as private citizens, who have close connections to South American drug traffickers. Since2009, at least three journalists have fled into exile due to threats related to their reporting on drugtrafficking in the country. The resulting climate of fear has led to a significant amount of selfcensorship,with many journalists afraid to cover drug-related issues at all. Impunity is the normfor public officials and members of the armed forces who abuse members of the press.A government-owned newspaper, Nô Pintcha, operates alongside several privatelyowned print outlets. The state-run Rádio Televisão de Guinea-Bissau and RTP’s Africa serviceoperate the country’s two television networks. A number of private radio stations compete withthe state-run radio broadcaster. The press in Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries,is plagued by financial instability. With only one state-owned printing press, publicationsstruggle with high costs, slow production, and limited supplies. Broadcast outlets face unreliableelectricity that hinders steady operations. Although many young people continue to pursuecareers in journalism, the lack of resources hampers growth.Around 2.9 percent of the population had access to the internet in 2012. No governmentalrestrictions are apparent, though a lack of equipment and infrastructure drastically limits accessto the internet in practice.GuyanaStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 9Political Environment: 14Economic Environment: 10Total Score: 33Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 31,PF 30,F 30,F 30,F 33,PFGuyana’s constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, but relations between thePeople’s Progressive Party (PPP) government and some media outlets have deteriorated in recentyears. While defamation is not a criminal offense, public officials have utilized civil libel suits tostifle criticism. In 2010, then president Bharrat Jagdeo sued journalist and political activistFreddie Kissoon as well as the editor in chief and publishers of Kaieteur News for libel over a188