Extracts from an Irish Times article from May 4th 1998 written by Michael Foley.

“The leaders of Nigeria, Burma, Belarus, Cuba, and Indonesia are among the world’s “10 Enemies of the Press” named by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on World Press Freedom Day . Nigeria’s military ruler, Gen Sani Abacha, was named as the worst enemy of the press. Nigeria now holds more journalists in prison than any other African nation.

In Dublin, the Catholic Church’s development agency, Trocaire, marked World Press Freedom Day by calling on the Government to push at the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting for an oil embargo on Nigeria to protest at its military regime’s violations of press freedom.

The National Union of Journalists in Ireland called for an end of the widespread practice of local authorities conducting business in private, or “in committee”.

Local authorities and other bodies continue to hold meetings in private to discuss issues of major public interest, including planning, housing and the development of amenities, said the chairman of the NUJ’s Irish executive, Michael Fisher. He called for the end of Ireland’s culture of secrecy, the repeal of the Official Secrets Act and reform of Ireland’s “draconian” libel laws.

National Newspapers of Ireland, the lobby group for the main newspaper titles, said in a statement figures from the World Association of Newspapers show that 138 journalists are being held in prison in 24 countries.”