Too many countries are moving to prevent journalists from investigating and reporting objectively. This tide must be
Jodie Ginsberg
theguardian.com, Monday 23 June 2014 12.31 EDT
Al-Jazeera’s Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed listen to the ruling as they are jailed
Al-Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed listen to the ruling in Cairo as they are jailed today. Photograph: Asmaa Waguih/Reuters
The jailing of three al-Jazeera journalists in Egypt marks a disturbing new stage in the erosion of freedom of expression rights worldwide. In 2013 more than 200 journalists were jailed worldwide for doing their job – close to recorded highs.
A free press is one of the cornerstones of a free society. And it needs to be free in practice, not just in theory. This means not just enshrining guarantees of press freedom – and freedom of expression more generally – in the legal system, but also making sure that other laws such as those ostensibly created to protect citizens from, say, terrorists should not be used as a means to stifle the press.
In countries including Egypt, Turkey and Russia, laws brought in to protect national security are being used to prevent journalists from investigating and reporting objectively. They are being used against citizens who criticise their governments. The effect of these laws, and of rulings such as that made today by the Egyptian court, is to create a climate of fear that means other journalists, bloggers, campaigners and activists are afraid to speak out.