By David Ohito
Eritrea has been ranked the most notorious country in censoring the works of journalists in the world.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) argued that shutting out international media and imposing dictatorial controls on domestic coverage, the Horn of Africa nation emerged as the world's most censored country after its newly updated analysis of press restrictions around the globe.
Following closely on CPJ's 10 Most Censored Countries list are North Korea, Syria, and Iran, three nations where vast restrictions on information have enormous implications for geopolitical and nuclear stability.
CPJ singled out Eritrea's wanting record in which no foreign reporters are granted access to Eritrea, and all domestic media are controlled by the government.
"Every time [a journalist] had to write a story, they arrange for interview subjects and tell you specific angles you have to write on," an exiled Eritrean journalist told CPJ, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
"We usually wrote lots about the president so that he's always in the limelight."
So when President Isaias Afewerki dropped out of public view for a time last month, his citizens and the international community was left with only rumors about his well-being said CPJ.
Closer home, the records of Ethiopia and Sudanese governments did not look brilliant either.
The report stated: "In Ethiopia, censorship has become far more restrictive in recent years. The government of Meles Zenawi appoints managers of broadcasters and state newspapers and licenses all media. Anti-terrorism legislation criminalizes any reporting that the Ethiopian government deems favorable to opposition movements designated as terrorist."
While in Sudan, "authorities frequently confiscate newspapers, which are the widespread form of media. This year, security forces have increasingly adopted ways of confiscating newspaper editions wholesale to inflict financial losses on publishers," CPJ said.
In Kenya the last major assault by the government functionaries on a media house was during the infamous raid on The Standard Group premises in 2006.
