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4/18/2008 |
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JOURNALISTS HARASSED IN GRENADA |
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Robert Menard, the secretary general of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed serious concern on Wednesday to Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell over the recent harassment of two freelance journalists who have been accused of working with the opposition in Grenada.
In a letter to the prime minister, Menard stated that reporters Rawle Titus and Linda Straker (who is also the regional correspondent for RSF) had been characterised in cartoon style leaflets, along with three leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in a manner that appears to be supportive of the opposition.
The leaflets, which are being posted in various places in St George’s, show the two journalists addressing a policeman suspected of spying on NDC leaders, who held a press conference on 9 April at which he was asked tough questions by journalists, including Straker and Titus.
“Straker and Titus are shown asking imaginary questions. Straker says: ‘Officer, the NDC pays me to ask you stupid questions so you better answer me or else.’ Titus is saying: ‘If we the NDC get into office, the police don't have any say, so you better answer my questions now or else.’ The three politicians are shown making remarks about an alleged assault on the policeman by NDC supporters,” Menard explained in his letter.
“The accusations against them go beyond the personal and undermine one of the main principles of the rule of law: freedom of information. The job of journalists everywhere is to ask questions so as to keep the public informed. Governments and civil servants, who answer to the public, must be the first to submit themselves to unrestricted public scrutiny,” he added.
While Straker has filed a legal complaint with the court against the authors, who are anonymous, Menard said there is reason to believe the material was produced and distributed by activists of Mitchell’s political party and appealed to the prime minister to make every effort -- not only as the leader of the New National Party (NNP), but also the minister of information “and thus regulator and guarantor of press freedom” -- to ensure that there are no more attempts to intimidate journalists.
Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com |
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