Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) - With at least 14 journalists detained, Burma is the third worst country that has imprisoned journalists for disseminating information to the people, said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday.

CPJ's 2008 annual census shows that as of December 1, Burma along with 28 other nations across the world have detained a total of 125 journalists and for the first time the number of online journalists being detained surpasses journalists in other media.

The CPJ said, 56 online journalists, or about 45 per cent of all media workers jailed worldwide are bloggers, Web-based reporters, or online editors.

"Online journalists represent the largest professional category for the first time in CPJ's prison census," the CPJ said in its report.

According to the CPJ, the number of imprisoned online journalists has steadily increased since the first jailed Internet writer was reported in 1997. With 53 journalists' detained, print reporters, editors, and photographers make up the next largest professional category in 2008, while Television and radio journalists and documentary filmmakers constitute the rest.

"Online journalism has changed the media landscape and the way we communicate with each other," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon in the report.

 "But the power and influence of this new generation of online journalists has captured the attention of repressive governments around the world, and they have accelerated their counterattack," he added.

The power of online journalism in Burma, a country ruled by the military which has closed almost all connections with the outside world, came to be known during the September 2007 monk-led protests, when the world community was able to view images of the protests and the crackdowns on blogs and websites posted by bloggers, online journalists and Burmese media groups in exile.

Despite the Burmese junta's alacrity in shutting off the internet and snapping telephone lines, online journalism seems to have persisted as the world community once again watched in shock the images in the aftermath of the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis.

However, Burma's military junta, despite worldwide condemnation, arrested five journalists and bloggers including popular comedian Zargarnar for disseminating information on the September protests and the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.

Burma's military authorities sentenced Zargarnar, who along with blogger Nay Phone Latt were named winners of the RSF 'Cyber-Dissident' award on Thursday, to 59 years in prison and transferred him to Myitkyina town in northern Burma's Kachin State.

Nay Phone Latt was sentenced to 20 ½ years in jail and sent to Paan prison in Karen State.

Of the 29 countries that have jailed journalists, China tops the list having had 28 journalists thrown behind bars. With 21 detained journalists, Cuba is second, while Burma with a total of 14 journalists detained comes across as the third.

Eritrea closely follows Burma with 13 journalists and Uzbekistan with six and is ranked fifth.