PARIS (voa) - An international press group has expressed concern over a world-wide decline in press freedom over the past year.
In its annual statement, Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers warns that today's journalists face increasing censorship in many parts of the world, and are targeted for political reasons.
The report shows that in 2001, nearly 500 reporters were arrested, and of those about 100 remain imprisoned. The statement also indicates about one-third of the world's population lives in countries where there is no free press.
The most serious repression of the press is said to exist in countries with a one-party regime, such as Syria, Iraq, and China. The report also names several Western democracies that occasionally censor the media despite their good record on human rights and freedom of expression.
The organization predicts that press freedoms will suffer further due to fallout related to the September 11th terror attacks. It expresses fear that steps recently taken to strengthen Internet monitoring and weaken the right of journalists not reveal sources will diminish press freedom.
The International Press Institute issued its own statement Thursday regarding the diminished state of reporter's rights. It expressed particular concern over recent hostility toward journalists in Zimbabwe and the Middle East.
Both statements were released ahead of this Friday's annual World Press Freedom Day.
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