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Guyana moves up two places on World Press Freedom Index
– but report highlights restriction of certain media outlets, harassment of journalists
Guyana has moved up two places on the World Press Freedom Index, according to the international advocacy body, Reporters Without Borders.
Image: Courtesy Reporters Sans Frontières
In the recently released 2020 press freedom barometer, Guyana now stands at number 49. One year ago, it was ranked at 51.
The report noted that although Guyana’s constitution guarantees free speech and the right to information, officials often use various pieces of legislation—including defamation laws, which provide for fines and up to two years in jail—to silence opposition journalists.
It was also highlighted that in Guyana, members of the media regulatory authority are appointed directly by the president, and that this was in essence not ideal for press freedom.
“This restricts the freedom of certain media outlets, which are denied licenses. Recent attempts to improve regulation of the broadcast industry involved no consultation with any broadcasters. Journalists are still subjected to harassment that takes the form of prosecutions, suspensions, and intimidation.”
Meanwhile, Norway tops the Index for the fourth year in a row in 2020, while Finland is again the runner-up. Denmark (up 2 at 3rd) is next as both Sweden (down 1 at 4th) and the Netherlands (down 1 at 5th) have fallen as a result of increases in cyber-harassment. The other end of the Index has seen little change. North Korea (down 1 at 180th) has taken the last position from Turkmenistan, while Eritrea (178th) continues to be Africa’s worst-ranked country.
Malaysia (101st) and the Maldives (79th) registered the biggest rises in the 2020 Index – 22nd and 19th, respectively – thanks to the beneficial effects of changes of government through the polls. The third biggest leap was by Sudan (159th), which rose 16 places after Omar al-Bashir’s removal.
The list of biggest declines in the 2020 Index is topped by Haiti, where journalists have often been targeted during violent nationwide protests for the past two years. After falling 21 places, it is now ranked 83rd. The other two biggest falls were in Africa – by Comoros (down 19 at 75th) and Benin (down 17 at 113th), both of which have seen a surge in press freedom violations.
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