CLIMATE CRISIS

Kenya on alert as it braces for first-ever cyclone

By

 AFP

Kenyan President William Ruto put the flood-ravaged country on high alert on Friday and postponed the reopening of schools indefinitely as the nation braced for its first-ever cyclone. 

Torrential rains have lashed East Africa since March and claimed the lives of more than 350 people.

The region is now threatened by a cyclone projected to make landfall at the weekend along its Indian Ocean coast. 

“This cyclone named Hidaya, that could hit anytime now, is predicted to cause torrential rain, strong winds and powerful and dangerous waves,” Ruto told a press briefing in the capital, Nairobi. 

“Our country must act swiftly and decisively to mitigate the devastating impacts of the present crisis and protect life and property.”

Schools, which were due to reopen on Monday, will now remain shut indefinitely.

All ministers have been directed to coordinate the evacuation and relocation of all affected Kenyans. 

Cyclone Hidaya will peak at gusts of 165 kilometres (100 miles) per hour when it makes landfall in neighbouring Tanzania on Saturday, according to the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre for East African trade bloc IGAD.

Cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean normally lasts from November to April, and there are around a dozen storms each year.

Tanzanian authorities warned earlier on Friday that Hidaya had “strengthened to reach the status of a full-fledged cyclone” by 3:00 am (0000 GMT), when it was some 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the southeastern city of Mtwara.  

“Cyclone Hidaya has continued to strengthen further, with wind speeds increasing to about 130 kilometres per hour,” they said in a weather bulletin.

– ‘No corner spared’ –

East Africa’s rains have been amplified by the El Nino weather pattern — a naturally occurring climate phenomenon typically associated with increased heat worldwide that leads to drought in some parts of the world and heavy downpours elsewhere.

So far, around 210 people have died in Kenya from flood-related incidents.

More than 165,000 others have been uprooted from their homes and nearly 100 are missing, according to government data. 

“No corner of our country has been spared from this havoc,” Ruto said.

“Sadly, we have not seen the last of this perilous period,” he warned.

At least 155 people have been killed in Tanzania by floods and landslides that have destroyed crops and swallowed homes. 

Rescuers in boats and aircraft have raced against the clock in pouring rain to help people marooned by the floods in Kenya. 

In dramatic footage shared on Wednesday, the Kenya Red Cross rescued a man who said he was stranded by floodwaters and forced to shelter in a tree for five days in Garissa in the east of the country.

The military also joined search and rescue efforts after Ruto deployed them to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas. 

The government has ordered anyone living close to major rivers or near 178 “filled-up or near filled-up dams or water reservoirs” to evacuate the area within 24 hours.

Opposition politicians and lobby groups have accused the government of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings.

– Forced to escape again’ –

The heavier than usual rains have also claimed at least 29 lives in Burundi.

Some 175 people have been injured and tens of thousands displaced since September, the United Nations said.

UN refugee agency UNCHR said it was “particularly concerned” about thousands of refugees who had been displaced in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. 

“(They are) being forced to escape once again for their lives after their homes were washed away,” UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado Mur said on Friday.

Late last year, more than 300 people died in rains and floods in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, just as the region was trying to recover from its worst drought in four decades.

by Hillary ORINDE

Kenya braces for Cyclone Hidaya after devastating floods claim 210 lives

President William Ruto outlines urgent measures to deal with floods across country

Andrew Wasike |03.05.2024 -



NAIROBI, Kenya

The death toll from floods in Kenya has risen to 210, said Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday during an address from State House in Nairobi.

"The weight of tragic events in recent weeks has tested our nation's resilience in the wake of unprecedented challenges," said Ruto, cautioning that Kenya may face its first-ever cyclone this weekend.

He said that Cyclone Hidaya is predicted to bring torrential rain, strong winds, and dangerous waves.

In response to the crisis, Ruto directed the Ministry of Education to postpone the reopening of all schools for the second term until further notice.

The president also instructed the Ministry of Interior to coordinate the relocation and evacuation of affected residents, identify temporary shelter sites, and oversee support programs.

To bolster disaster response and mitigation efforts nationwide, the Treasury Ministry has been tasked with providing adequate resources and collaborating with development partners to procure and distribute essential supplies such as food and medical items.

The Kenyan president also warned that the situation could worsen as water levels in the Seven Forks Hydro-Electric power dams, including Masinga and Kiambere, have reached historic highs, threatening to overflow into neighboring settlements in Garissa and Tana River counties.

He urged citizens to support ecosystem restoration efforts, including the ambitious plan to plant 15 billion trees nationwide within the next decade.

Flooding worsens in East Africa

WMO NEWS
03 May 2024

Devastating flooding in East Africa is claiming an increasing number of casualties, destroying infrastructure and crops and killing livestock and wildlife. An incoming tropical cyclone is set to worsen the situation by bringing yet more heavy rainfall to the worst affected countries, including the United Republic of Tanzania and Kenya.


Credit: Copernicus EC Sentinel2 satellite

Kenyan President William Ruto addressed the nation, outlining a series of measures to deal with the emergency, including evacuations and urgent health provisions. Water dams are overflowing, roads and bridges have been destroyed, and schools are closed. As of 3 May, 210 people have been killed and many more injured, he said.

“No corner of our country has been spared from this havoc,” said President Ruto. “Sadly, we have not seen the last of this perilous period as this situation is expected to escalate. Meteorological reports paint a dire picture. The rains will persist, increasing both in duration and intensity for the rest of this month and possibly after,” he said.

The ongoing disaster underlines yet again the vulnerability of society to weather, water and climate-related hazards and the need for Early Warnings For All.

The waning El Niño event, alongside a phenomenon known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, and high sea surface temperatures are playing a role. But the excess energy trapped in the atmosphere and ocean by human-induced greenhouse gases is also having a major influence by turbo-charging the extreme weather.

“The current unprecedented crisis of floods that our country is experiencing …. is a direct consequence of our failure to protect our environment, resulting in painful effects of climate change. Our country will remain in this cyclical crisis for a long time unless and until we confront the existential threat of climate change,” said President Ruto.

The Kenya Meteorological Department issued numerous Red Alerts.

WMO’s Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre La Reunion issued advisories about Tropical Cyclone Hidaya

WMO’s Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre La Reunion and the Tanzania Meteorological Agency issued respectively advisories and warnings about Tropical Cyclone Hidaya. which is the first documented system to have reached tropical cyclone status in that low latitude region, making it historically significant for the northwestern corner of the South-West Indian Ocean basin.

Hidaya is forecast to bring dangerous waves and heavy rainfall to already sodden soils in Tanzania and also impact northern Mozambique. It is expected to skirt the coastline of those countries for the next couple of days while gradually weakening.
Other countries in the region have also been badly hit, including Uganda, Burundi and parts of Ethiopia and Somalia. This has worsened the already fragile humanitarian situation and displacement crisis in the Horn of Africa.

 EXPLAINER

Government criticised over poor infrastructure as 210 people killed, thousands displaced and a cyclone is on the way.

By Sarah Shamim

Published On 3 May 20243 May 2024

Torrential rains have caused devastating floods in Kenya, where more than 200 people have died, thousands have been displaced and nearly 2,000 schools have been destroyed. All remaining schools have been shut down until further notice.

Rains have been ravaging Kenya since March during some of the most catastrophic weather events in the country for years. Now, Cyclone Hidaya is expected to hit Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania late on Friday, which could further worsen the flooding. This comes amid recent heavy rainfall across East Africa.

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Kenya, Tanzania brace for Cyclone Hidaya as flood death toll rises

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Kenya flooding death toll climbs to 70 since March

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Photos: Kenya searches for dozens amid deadly floods

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Photos: Deadly floods wreak havoc in Kenya’s capital

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Here is more about the floods in Kenya so far:

How many people have been killed and injured in Kenya’s floods?

The flooding has wreaked havoc in Kenya, causing death and destruction. Here are the latest figures from Kenya’s Ministry of Interior on Friday:

• At least 210 people have been killed, including 20 in a recent 24-hour period, and 125 have been injured.
• Ninety people have been reported missing with dozens believed to be lost under the debris.
• About 3,100 households have been displaced.
• The schools that have been destroyed number 1,967.

“There are many people who cannot be found. Many of my neighbours cannot be found,” Jane Wambui, a flood survivor, told Al Jazeera.

Many of those who have been worst affected by the flooding live in informal settlements, such as Nairobi’s Mathare, where residents have accused the government of neglecting them.

“The government says they deployed the military and the national youth service and they are stepping up search and rescue missions, but where are they? It has been a week, and where are they? I have not seen anyone here in Mathare. Not one person from the government has come to help us,” Mathare resident Collins Obondo said.

Where in Kenya is the flooding the worst?

In the town of Mai Mahiu in southern Kenya, a dam burst on Monday, killing at least 48 people.

(Al Jazeera)

Mai Mahiu in Nakuru County is west of the capital, Nairobi, which is expected to be hit by more heavy rains, according to a warning issued on X on Friday by Kenya’s Meteorological Department.

What has caused the flooding in Kenya?

While climate events such as El Nino – the warming of the surface water of the Pacific Ocean, which causes heavy rainfall in some parts of the world – have been linked to the increase in rain, many Kenyans believe the flooding has been exacerbated by lack of investment by the government.

In Mathare, locals blamed the flooding on poorly maintained, frequently blocked drains that have caused water to accumulate.

Flood survivor Nahason Igeria told Al Jazeera: “This was caused by the state national Railways Corporation. They are the ones who built the culvert downstream and the tunnel upstream. It should be their responsibility to maintain the system.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch published findings that low-income neighbourhoods, such as Mathare, had been severely impacted by the floods due to “less solid structures, congestion and poor sanitation infrastructure”.

In a statement, Greenpeace Africa Executive Director Oulie Keita said the floods are a “stark reminder of the human cost of the climate crisis”, adding, “Some of the damage was further worsened by misinformed development.”

How has the Kenyan government responded to the floods?

In anticipation of Cyclone Hidaya, President William Ruto’s government has ordered mandatory evacuations for residents living close to 178 dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties.

During his national address to the nation on Friday, Ruto said he had directed the Ministry of Education to postpone the reopening of schools for their second term until further notice. Besides the schools destroyed since March, many other schools are being used to shelter those who have been displaced by the floods.

Ruto’s approach to managing the floods has been criticised by residents of Mai Mahiu and of several informal settlements that have been devastated by floodwaters.

Human Rights Watch said the government failed to act following the Meteorological Department’s warnings in May last year that Kenya would experience enhanced rainfall due to El Nino and it would continue into 2024.

While the government set aside at least 10 billion Kenyan shillings ($80m) in preparation for a nationwide response, it did not outline a plan of action. In October, Ruto mistakenly said Kenya would not experience El Nino rainfall as had been predicted.

The Meteorological Department now expects the rainfall to continue until June.

What impact is Cyclone Hidaya expected to have?

Cyclone Hidaya is likely to result in “heavy rainfall, large waves and strong winds that could affect marine activities in the Indian Ocean”, the presidential office said.

The cyclone is also expected to make the search for the bodies of those missing and feared dead even more difficult, experts said.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the 2024 Joint Declaration on Climate Crisis and Freedom of Expression

POSTED ON MAY 03, 2024 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

limate protest coinciding with COP28 being held in Dubai in Brussels, Belgium, 3 December 2023. Photo: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock

Today, on 3 May 2024, as celebrations of World Press Freedom Day get underway in Santiago, Chile, the four international Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression have released their 2024 Joint Declaration on the Climate Crisis and Freedom of Expression. The special rapporteurs have issued joint declarations on contemporary challenges to freedom of expression each year since 1999. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the Joint Declaration, which sets out important standards in this area.

Read the Joint Declaration

The climate emergency is widely recognised as one of the greatest threats to humanity, presenting the international community with an unprecedented challenge and adversely impacting human rights.

ARTICLE 19 has long argued that the rights to freedom of expression and information and participation in decision-making processes are crucial for the development and execution of responses to climate emergency. Alongside other human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of information should provide ‘the legal baseline for how climate change is tackled’. Publicly-accessible information, public participation, and public debates on climate emergency issues are key practical tools for enhancing governmental action, and should therefore be included as crucial components of any relevant strategies.

Quinn McKew, ARTICLE 19’s Executive Director, comments:

“ARTICLE 19 welcomes the guidance offered by four free speech mandates on these issues. As documented by our work, the realisation of the right to freedom of expression and information is seriously flawed in relation to climate emergency.

“Our research shows that people are still being denied access to essential information about climate and environmental issues. Too often, people are starved of vital information that would allow them to fight against or prepare for the effects of climate emergency, and are left without any formal avenues to access information or raise their concerns, complaints or fears.

“States also use numerous means to repress climate change activists, stifle scientific research and exchange, and limit the right to protest. Journalists and activists who expose environmental degradation, investigate environmental wrongdoings, critique government officials or expose corruption face years of hardship and prosecutions.

“We urge States and other stakeholders to implement recommendations outlined by the special rapporteurs, raise awareness about these issues, and cooperate in finding solutions.”

The 2024 Joint Declaration provides a set of recommendations on how States and the private sector should respond to freedom of expression challenges connected to the climate emergency.

In particular, the Joint Declaration includes recommendations in areas of:

• Access to information on environmental and climate issues: Here, the special rapporteurs offer a set of recommendations on meeting transparency obligations on environmental and climate issues, not only to States but also to the private sector and online platforms. For instance, they highlight that companies should make environmental information contained in contracts, concessions, agreements or other documents involving public resources public in a regular, simplified, and accessible manner.
• Enabling environment for public participation and civic engagement: The Joint Declaration enumerates the actions that States must undertake to ensure that journalists, media outlets, civil society organisations, environmental or other human rights defenders, and everyone in society can meaningfully participate in addressing the climate crisis. This includes the protection of journalists and whistleblowers and others who frequently encounter elevated risks due to their work.
• Upholding environmental journalism to scrutinise climate actions and enhance public debate: The Joint Declaration recognises journalism as a ‘catalyst for public debate, facilitating informed decision-making on the climate crisis’ and reiterates the need to ensure that journalists and media can report on climate issues without being threatened, attacked, censored, or coerced. It also asks for further support to initiatives that enhance independent environmental reporting, especially in remote areas impacted by climate change.
• Access to justice in climate and environmental matters: The special rapporteurs ask States to ensure an adequate and effective legal remedy for all individuals whose rights are affected, as well properly equipping judicial systems with relevant knowledge and adequate human capacity to effectively resolve climate-related disputes.
• The protection of marginalised groups: The Joint Declaration highlights the importance of collection and dissemination of data on the effects of the climate crisis disaggregated by gender, race, ethnicity, income, geography and other relevant factors to demonstrate the full, intersectional and disproportionate nature of the problems. It also urges States and other actors to facilitate access to information, especially scientific and journalistic work on the impact of the climate crisis, produced by and about historically discriminated groups (e.g. women, indigenous peoples or rural communities).

Background

The four international experts on freedom of expression are:

• Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression;
• Teresa Ribeiro, the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;
• Pedro Vaca Villarreal, the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; and
• Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Soono, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information for the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

Joint Declarations by the four special rapporteurs have been adopted annually since 1999, covering contemporary universal challenges to freedom of expression. Previous declarations are available here.

ARTICLE 19 has been coordinating and supporting the drafting of these Joint Declarations since 1999.

Would Julian Assange’s extradition threaten press freedoms worldwide?

Whistleblower lawyer on Assange extradition: ‘It would affect publishers, journalists, bloggers, anyone – me and you.’

As the world commemorates Press Freedom Day, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains detained in a high-security prison in the United Kingdom while the United States fights for his extradition.

Assange faces 17 Espionage Act charges and a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for publishing about 400,000 classified US military documents exposing potential US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So what would Assange’s prosecution mean for press freedom?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill talks to lawyer and director of the Whistleblower and Source Protection Program at ExposeFacts, Jesselyn Radack.\

VIDEO

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/upfront/2024/5/3/would-julian-assanges-extradition-threaten-press-freedoms-worldwide

Warning on World Press Freedom Day of worsening climate for journalists

By Daniel Bellamy

Published on 03/05/2024 

Warnings were issued on World Press Freedom Day that media freedoms have declined, with governments being blamed for the deterioration.

To mark the day on Friday the pressure group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a global index detailing the working conditions for journalists in 180 countries.

Within the European Union it labels conditions for journalists as "problematic" in Greece, as well as in Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine and Poland.

In Serbia and Albania, conditions are labeled as "difficult," indicating a worse state. In Russia, Belarus, and Turkey, the situation is even more severe, categorised as "very serious."

According to the report, in Russia "more than 1,500 journalists have fled abroad since the invasion of Ukraine".

It also warns that, "press freedom is being put to the test by the ruling parties in Hungary (67th), Malta (73rd) and Greece (88th), the EU’s three worst-ranked countries. Giorgia Meloni’s Italy (46th) has also fallen five places".

But there have been some improvements in Europe. "The political environment for journalism has improved in Poland (up 10 to 47th) and Bulgaria (up 12 to 59th) thanks to new governments with more concern for the right to information".

Watchdog: Governments aren't doing enough to protect press freedom

May 03, 2024
By Liam Scott

A relative mourns Palestinian journalist Akram Al-Shafi'i in a morgue of the European Gaza Hospital in Rafah, Jan. 6, 2024.

Threats posed by governments and lawmakers are among the most concerning challenges for journalists around the world, Reporters Without Borders said in a report on Friday.

More governments and political authorities are failing to support and respect press freedom, the media watchdog, known as RSF, said as it released its annual World Press Freedom Index.

The rankings look at the political, legal, and economic factors affecting media, as well as the security situation for journalists in 180 countries and territories. Each is then assigned a score, where 1 shows the best environment.

The political sector saw the greatest deterioration of press freedom across all regions, RSF said.

“Political actors are more emboldened to denigrate the media, to vilify the press, to attack individual members of the press and journalists, to seek to weaponize the government apparatus against individual media outlets that are critical of them,” Clayton Weimers, the head of RSF’s U.S. office, told VOA.

That trend is all the more worrisome in a year where dozens of countries are set to hold national elections in 2024. Elections often feature violence against journalists and other curbs on press freedom, according to RSF.

Argentina experienced one of the biggest declines in media freedom compared to last year, Weimers said. It dropped from 40th place to 66th in the index.

The fall is due in large part to the election of President Javier Milei, “who has been openly hostile towards the media, has de-funded public media in Argentina and is leading the charge to vilify the press,” Weimers said.

Milei’s actions against the media underscores a broader phenomenon in which states and other political forces are playing a decreasing role in protecting press freedom, according to RSF.

Argentina’s Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment.

Norway maintained its status as the top country in the world for press freedom. Other countries in the top five include Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland.

At the bottom of the list are Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea.

The United States dropped 10 spots to 55th as a result of journalist arrests and last year’s police raid on a newspaper in Kansas.

SEE ALSO:
Last of the Watchdogs

Emily Wilkins, the president of the National Press Club in Washington, said it’s concerning to see press freedom under threat in the U.S. She pointed to harmful rhetoric from politicians as one specific worry.

“Politicians position themselves as being anti the press, calling the press enemies of the people,” Wilkins told VOA. “Every time that they villainize reporters and the media as a whole, that is a knock against democracy, and that is something that is making our entire country weaker.”

Russia’s two-point rise to a rank of 162nd is misleading. RSF says its global press freedom score actually got worse — but other countries fell even more.

“To be honest, 2023 didn’t see a lot of changes because the situation got so bad in 2022 that it can't get much worse,” Weimers said about Russia.

Factors contributing to that decline are Russia’s jailing of journalists, including two Americans.

The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich has been jailed since March 2023 on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government deny. The State Department has also declared the 32-year-old wrongfully detained.

Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor at VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been jailed since October 2023 on charges of failing to self-register as a so-called “foreign agent” and spreading what Moscow views as false information about the Russian military. She and her employer reject the charges.

Press freedom groups have criticized the State Department for not declaring Kurmasheva wrongfully detained. The designation would open up additional resources to help secure her release.

“It’s very critical that the State Department go forward and declare her wrongfully detained. I think a lot of us in the journalism community are very concerned that that hasn’t already happened,” Wilkins said.

State Department officials are still deciding whether to declare Kurmasheva wrongfully detained, Roger Carstens, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, told reporters in April.

“The Department of State continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. nationals overseas, including those in Russia, for indicators that they are wrongful,” a State Department spokesperson previously told VOA.

China, which is the worst jailer of journalists in the world, remained at the bottom of the index at 172nd.

“We’re very concerned that China is setting itself up as an export model for anti-democratic values that clamp down on press freedom and freedom of speech,” Weimers said.

But it’s not all bad news.

Improvements in Ukraine, for instance, mean the country rose 18 places to 61st, and in South America, Chile rose 31 places to 52nd.

RSF ranks Turkey 158th in new press freedom index, underreports number of jailed journalists

ByTurkish Minute

May 3, 2024

Bünyamin Tekin

Turkey was ranked 158th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), while the organization reported the number of imprisoned journalists in the country at seven, far below what local and international rights groups report.

Turkey’s 2024 ranking on the RSF index is up from 165th last year; however, according to RSF the minor change for the better is not a result of the improvement of freedom of the press in the country but rather due to regression elsewhere.

Rights groups routinely accuse the Turkish government of trying to keep the press under control by imprisoning journalists, eliminating media outlets, overseeing the purchase of media brands by pro-government conglomerates and using regulatory authorities to exert financial pressure, especially since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan survived a failed coup in July 2016.

Since the failed coup, when journalists were subjected to mass arrests on bogus coup or terrorism charges, local and international press organizations release varying figures for the number of journalists jailed in the country.

According to a census from the Expression Interrupted Platform, there are currently 32 journalists in prison in Turkey, mainly comprising Kurdish journalists and those who worked for media outlets affiliated with the Gülen movement.

The faith-based Gülen movement is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup in July 2016 and is labelled as a terrorist organization. The movement, inspired by the views of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, strongly denies the accusations.

According to Turkey’s leading press union, the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), in the past year, 69 journalists were detained and 264 stood trial. Sixty-three were acquitted, while 36 verdicts against journalists resulted in a total of 55 years in prison.

Turkish Minute tried to contact RSF’s Turkey representative, Erol Önderoğlu, for a comment on the low number of imprisoned journalists reported by his organization, but was unable to reach him.

According to RSF, Erdoğan’s re-election in May of last year is a source of concern as the country continues to lose points in the index.

The index is calculated using a score from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the highest level of press freedom and 0 the lowest. This score is derived from both a quantitative tally of abuses against media and journalists and a qualitative analysis by press freedom experts, who respond to an RSF questionnaire available in 24 languages.

The questionnaire evaluates five key indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and safety. These indicators provide a comprehensive view of the various challenges and threats journalists face.

The press freedom map visualizes these scores, categorizing countries into five groups based on their scores: good (green, 85-100 points), satisfactory (yellow, 70-85 points), problematic (light orange, 55-70 points), difficult (dark orange, 40-55 points) and very serious (dark red, 0-40 points).

Each country’s overall score is determined by subsidiary scores for each of the five contextual indicators, which are weighted equally. Within each indicator, all questions and subquestions also have equal weight.

Political context (33 questions and subquestions) examines the level of media autonomy, the acceptance of varied journalistic approaches and the support for media’s role in holding the government accountable.

Legal framework (25 questions and subquestions) assesses the freedom of journalists to work without censorship or judicial sanctions and the protection of journalists’ rights to access information and protect their sources.

Economic context (25 questions and subquestions) evaluates economic constraints imposed by government policies, non-state actors like advertisers and media owners who might use their platforms to promote personal business interests.

Sociocultural context (22 questions and subquestions) looks at social and cultural constraints that affect media coverage, including issues of gender, ethnicity and cultural pressures not to challenge powerful entities.

Safety (12 questions and subquestions) focuses on the physical and psychological safety of journalists, including risks of violence, harassment and professional harm.

The RSF index for 2024 ranks Turkey 158th out of 180 countries with an overall score of 31.6, which is a deterioration compared to the 2023 score (33.97), remaining in the “very serious” category.

The analysis for 2024 shows a significant decline in the political indicator, which falls from a score of 36.56 in 2023 to 20.02, putting Turkey in 165th place in this category.

The economic context remains relatively stable, changing slightly from 29.41 in 2023 to 28.91. The legal framework score has fallen from 41.16 to 37.38. In contrast, there are slight improvements in the sociocultural context and safety indicators, with the former rising from 30.11 to 37.05 and the latter from 32.58 to 34.63.

According to RSF, biased public broadcasting during the election period, the arrest of dozens of journalists and impunity are developments that make Turkey one of the countries regressing the most in terms of “political” factors affecting the media.

The investigations and prosecutions conducted against journalists on accusations of “disinformation” following earthquakes in February 2023 are signs that things are not going well in terms of the legal framework, according to the organization.

Turkey was accordingly among the countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region that saw the most serious decline in the political context.

Hamas demands Israel release Marwan Barghouti, a man some Palestinians see as their Nelson Mandela



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FILE - Marwan Barghouti, center, raises his handcuffed hands in the air on the opening day of his trial at Tel Aviv’s District Court on Aug. 14, 2002. Hamas officials say that any cease-fire deal with Israel should include the release of prisoner Marwan Barghouti — a leader of the militant group’s main political rival. The demand by Hamas marks the central role Barghouti plays in Palestinian politics — even after more than two decades behind bars and sentenced by Israel to multiple life terms in prison. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)Read More


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FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2012 file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti makes the victory sign in front of the media during his arrival to testify in a trial at a Jerusalem court. Hamas officials say that any cease-fire deal with Israel should include the release of prisoner Marwan Barghouti — a leader of the militant group’s main political rival. The demand by Hamas marks the central role Barghouti plays in Palestinian politics — even after more than two decades behind bars and sentenced by Israel to multiple life terms in prison. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)


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FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears at Jerusalem’s court. Hamas officials say that any cease-fire deal with Israel should include the release of prisoner Marwan Barghouti — a leader of the militant group’s main political rival. The demand by Hamas marks the central role Barghouti plays in Palestinian politics — even after more than two decades behind bars and sentenced by Israel to multiple life terms in prison. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)


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FILE - In the background of part of Israel’s separation barrier with portrait of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Israeli soldiers patrol at Kalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, Thursday, March 8, 2012. Hamas officials say that any cease-fire deal with Israel should include the release of prisoner Marwan Barghouti — a leader of the militant group’s main political rival. The demand by Hamas marks the central role Barghouti plays in Palestinian politics — even after more than two decades behind bars and sentenced by Israel to multiple life terms in prison. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi, File)


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FILE - A banner with a picture of jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti and some fellow inmates, with Arabic that reads “Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Ramallah organization, Fatah, April 17th, the battle of the empty intestines,” hang on a building, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, May 1, 2017. Hamas officials say that any cease-fire deal with Israel should include the release of prisoner Marwan Barghouti — a leader of the militant group’s main political rival. The demand by Hamas marks the central role Barghouti plays in Palestinian politics — even after more than two decades behind bars and sentenced by Israel to multiple life terms in prison. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)


- Palestinian women shout slogans while waving their national flags with a picture of jailed leader Marwan Barghouti, during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, on May 4, 2017. Hamas officials say that any cease-fire deal with Israel should include the release of prisoner Marwan Barghouti — a leader of the militant group’s main political rival. The demand by Hamas marks the central role Barghouti plays in Palestinian politics — even after more than two decades behind bars and sentenced by Israel to multiple life terms in prison. 

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

BY JULIA FRANKEL


JERUSALEM (AP) — He’s viewed by some Palestinians as their Nelson Mandela, and he’s a prime candidate to become their president in the future. He’s also the highest-profile prisoner held by Israel.

Now Marwan Barghouti’s freedom is at stake in cease-fire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. Hamas leaders demanded Friday that Israel release Barghouti, a leader of the militant group’s main political rival, as part of any deal to end the fighting in Gaza.

The demand brings new attention to Barghouti, who plays a central role in Palestinian politics even after spending more than two decades behind bars. His release could lay the groundwork for his eventual election to national office.

Hamas’ gambit to free him appears to be an attempt to rally public support for the militant group as well as a recognition of his status as a uniquely unifying Palestinian figure.

“Hamas wants to show to the Palestinian people that they are not a closed movement. They represent part of the Palestinian social community. They are trying to seem responsible,” said Qadoura Fares, who heads the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoner Affairs in the occupied West Bank and has long been involved in negotiations over prisoner releases.



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Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan called for Barghouti’s release as international mediators try to push Israel and Hamas toward an agreement after nearly four months of war

Israel is seeking the release of more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is demanding an end to Israel’s devastating military offensive and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

The war broke out Oct. 7, when Hamas fighters crossed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and dragging 250 hostages back to Gaza. The Hamas attack triggered an Israeli ground and air campaign that has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and triggered a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Over 100 hostages were released during a weeklong truce in November. Israel estimates 136 hostages remain in captivity, though 20 have been pronounced dead. With protests calling for the hostages’ immediate release sweeping Israel, and fears that time is running out to bring them home safely, pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal.

For Palestinians, the plight of their imprisoned loved ones is deeply emotional. While Israel considers “security prisoners” to be terrorists, Palestinians widely see them as heroes battling Israeli occupation. Virtually every Palestinian has a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been imprisoned.

The Israeli human rights group HaMoked says Israel is currently holding nearly 9,000 security prisoners. Hamas seeks the release of all of them. But in his remarks Friday, Hamdan mentioned only two by name — Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.

Saadat heads a small faction that killed an Israeli Cabinet minister in 2001 and is serving a 30-year sentence for allegedly participating in attacks.

Palestinians see the 64-year-old Barghouti, a member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, as a natural successor to the 88-year-old Abbas, who leads the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, the self-ruled government that administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Abbas, whose forces in Gaza were overrun by Hamas in 2007, hopes to regain control of the territory after the war. But he is deeply unpopular because of corruption within the authority and because of his security coordination with the Israeli army.

Palestinians have not held elections since 2006, when Hamas won a parliamentary majority.

Fares, a Barghouti supporter, said that if Barghouti is released, he could become a consensus candidate in a round of new elections that Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions could rally behind. A wartime opinion poll published in December showed Barghouti to be the most popular politician among Palestinians, ahead of both Abbas and Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

Israelis see Barghouti as an arch-terrorist, and convincing Israel to free him will be an uphill battle.

Barghouti, a leader in the West Bank during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, is serving five life terms for his role in several deadly attacks. During that uprising, Palestinian militants carried out deadly suicide bombings and shooting attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, targeting buses, restaurants, hotels and Israelis driving in the West Bank, eliciting crushing Israeli military reprisals.

In 2002, Barghouti was arrested on multiple counts of murder. He did not offer a defense, refusing to recognize the court’s authority. Since then, he has repeatedly thrust himself into the spotlight.

In 2021, he registered his own list for parliamentary elections that were later called off. A few years earlier, he led more than 1,500 prisoners in a 40-day hunger strike to call for better treatment in the Israeli prison system. From jail, he has continued to call for a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — lands Israel seized in the 1967 war.

Barghouti was born in the West Bank village of Kobar in 1962. While studying history and politics at Bir Zeit University, he helped spearhead student protests against the Israeli occupation.

He emerged as an organizer in the first Palestinian uprising, which erupted in December 1987, but Israel eventually deported him to Jordan. He returned to the West Bank in the 1990s, as part of interim peace agreements that were meant to pave the way for a Palestinian state but got bogged down by the end of the decade when a second uprising erupted.

Barghouti was seen as political leader of the armed wing of Fatah at the time.

Israel has previously rejected calls to free him. It refused to include him in a 2011 exchange of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for a single soldier held captive in Gaza by Hamas, said Fares, who was party to the negotiations. Yehya Sinwar, the current Hamas leader in Gaza and a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, was freed in that exchange.

The 2011 negotiations revolved around the release of a single hostage. With the lives of over 100 hostages now hanging in the balance, there is more pressure than ever on Israel to release Palestinian prisoners. That may make conditions ripe for a deal that could simultaneously win Barghouti’s release and bolster Hamas’ standing among Palestinians.

“Hamas is more strong and more clever than ever before,” Fares said. “They understand how necessary it is for the Palestinian people to have consensus.”