Ten Worst Offenders -- from Report

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http://www.cpj.org/pubs/attacks97/attacks97index.html
 for full report from Committee to Protect Journalists


Enemies of the Press: The 10 Worst Offenders of 1997

On May 3, in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, CPJ announced its
annual
choices of the top 10 Enemies of the Press worldwide. Those who made the list
this
year, as in the past, earned the dubious distinction by exhibiting particular
zeal for the
ruthless suppression of journalists. For the second consecutive year, the
leader of
Algeria's Armed Islamic Group took first place in a roster that includes a
number of
repeat offenders and a troubling cast of newcomers.

These 10 individuals are characterized by their relentless hostility to the
very concept of
a free and independent press in their own countries and around the world. They
have
deliberately engaged in hundreds of press freedom violations ranging from
censorship,
harassment, and physical attack to imprisonment and even assassination.

9. Burma's Senior General Than Shwe


 Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council
 (SLORC), Than Shwe keeps the media under tight
 control with a barrage of laws restricting the flow of
 information. Writing or saying anything to "disrupt and
 deteriorate the stability of the state" brings a 20-year
 prison sentence; owning or using a fax machine or
 modem, 15 years. Jamming of BBC and Voice of
 America Burmese-language broadcasts effectively denies
 Burmese citizens access to any independent, reliable
 information on developments in their country.

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