Dhaka, May 25: Reporters in South Asia were routinely
harassed, arrested and sometimes killed and press freedom in
the region remained elusive, a conference of 160 journalists
was told today.
"No country of South Asia can take pride in fully
conceding the citizen's right to know and the right of access
to information," said Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General of the
South Asian free media association that organised the two-day
meeting.
Alam said many journalists "have been harassed, arrested
and killed in almost all countries of South Asia." He did not
provide any details.
In a report earlier this month, Paris-based reporters
without borders said at least six journalists were killed in
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal last year, making South
Asia one of the world's most dangerous areas for the press.
It said most of those killings were the "work of armed
groups or criminal gangs."
The group also blamed regional tensions and civil wars
for the erosion of press freedom.
Journalists are being increasingly targeted for writing
about political corruption, organised crime and religious
intolerance, media rights groups said.
Bangladeshi information minister Tariqul Islam told the
conference his government is "committed to upholding press
freedom."
The meeting brought together journalists and media
activists from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Nepal.
Bureau Report
