2002

  

ISRAELI FORCES RELEASE AP REPORTER

New York, April 18, 2002—Mohammed Daraghmeh, an Associated Press (AP) correspondent detained by Israeli forces on Tuesday morning, was released on Tuesday evening but did not arrive at home until yesterday, according to the AP. Daraghmeh, who was rounded up along with 30 other men during a sweep in the West Bank town of Nablus,…

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Editor sentenced to 74 lashes

New York, April 18, 2002—Ali-Hamed Imam, editor of the local weekly Shams-e Tabriz, was sentenced to 74 lashes and seven months in prison on April 16 by a court in Tabriz, 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Tehran. According to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, the court also revoked Imam’s publishing license and…

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Man confesses to murdering journalist Authorities doubt admission

Bogotá, April 18, 2002–A man being held by authorities in Colombia’s capital has confessed to murdering journalist Orlando Sierra, a newspaper editor and columnist who was shot and killed early this year, CPJ has learned. Luis Fernando Soto told investigators that he shot 42-year-old Sierra, deputy editor of La Patria newspaper, on a whim after…

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CPJ urges passage of new broadcasting law

New York, April 17, 2002—In a letter sent today to Serbian National Assembly president Natasa Micic, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed strong support for Parliament’s efforts to safeguard press freedom in Serbia. CPJ believes that by passing the draft Broadcasting Law, currently under consideration, Parliament can create an effective legal framework for the…

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Periodistas siguen en riesgo

Nueva York, 17 de abril de 2002 — Luego del fallido golpe de estado de la semana pasada contra el presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez Frías, partidarios de Chávez hostigaron a varios medios de comunicación, según conoció el Comité para la Protección de los Periodistas (CPJ, por sus siglas en inglés). El jueves, poco antes de…

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Journalists remain at risk

New York, April 17, 2002—In the aftermath of last week’s failed coup against President Hugo Chávez Frías, Chávez supporters harassed several Venezuelan media outlets, CPJ has learned. On Thursday, just before his ouster, Chávez had accused local broadcasters of conspiring to overthrow his government. At around 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, when President Chávez…

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AP Reporter detained in West Bank

New York, April 16, 2002—CPJ is deeply concerned for the safety of Associated Press (AP) reporter Mohamed Daraghmeh, who was detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Nablus today. Israeli troops took Daraghmeh and several other Palestinian men from his building early this morning during an army sweep of the neighborhood. Dan…

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Prominent editor arrested

Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to protest your government’s continued harassment of independent journalists. Since June 1999, when the people of Zimbabwe voted against expanding the powers of the executive branch, your government has been systematically dismantling the constitutionally protected rights of Zimbabwean journalists.

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Government uses harsh press laws to stifle criticism

Your Excellency: In May 2000, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote to you expressing concern that Togo’s harsh new Press Code would greatly inhibit the flow of information in your country. A spate of recent press freedom abuses has confirmed our fears.

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Television station targeted in bomb attack

Bogotá, April 15, 2002—A rocket exploded late Friday, April 12, near the studios of RCN Televisión in the Colombian capital, CPJ has learned. Local authorities said the station was intentionally targeted. The blast destroyed a brick wall surrounding the offices of a telephone company located less than 40 feet from the station in an industrial…

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