New York, June 30, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is outraged that two journalists and their American translator were convicted today by a Laotian court in Phonesavan, a town in the northeastern Xieng Khuang province. Although it is unclear what the charges were, CPJ has confirmed that Belgian journalist Thierry Falise, French cameraman Vincent…
New York, June 30, 2003—Japanese photographer Takagi Tadatomo was released and deported from Indonesia’s war-torn Aceh Province on Sunday, June 29, after being held for two days. The 25-year-old photographer left Medan, the capital of neighboring North Sumatra Province, on a morning flight to Singapore. Indonesian military authorities in northern Aceh detained Tadatomo last Thursday,…
New York, June 30, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the recent expulsion of Pavel Selin, a correspondent with the Russian television network NTV based in Belarus’s capital, Minsk. On Saturday, June 28, Selin was summon to the Internal Affairs Ministry, where he was told to leave the country within 24 hours, according to…
New York, June 27, 2003— The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the recent violent attack on Abul Bashar, the local correspondent for the Bengali-language national daily newspaper Janakantha (The People’s Voice) in Shariatpur district, which is located in southern Bangladesh. According to several local sources and Bashar, himself, members of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the continuing efforts by Indonesian authorities to sharply restrict reporting by journalists attempting to cover the military operations in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh. The latest evidence of such efforts is the series of restrictive new rules, announced yesterday, which will prohibit independent reporting from the region.
New York, June 26, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is disappointed that the upper house of Russia’s Parliament, the Federation Council, approved a series of legal amendments on Wednesday, June 25, that could severely restrict the media’s ability to report on the December 2003 parliamentary elections and the March 2004 presidential elections. The lower…
Dear Mr. Cortez: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to condemn a series of recent threats and violent attacks against Guatemalan journalists. With presidential and legislative elections scheduled for November 9, we are concerned that these incidents could multiply, increasing self-censorship among journalists and preventing Guatemalans from engaging in an open and meaningful political debate.
Prezado Sr. Cortez: O Comitê para a Proteção dos Jornalistas (CPJ, por sua sigla em inglês) envia a presente para condenar as recentes ameaças e ataques violentos aos jornalistas guatemaltecos. Considerando que as eleições presidenciais e legislativas estão fixadas para o dia 9 de novembro, nos preocupa que estes incidentes possam se multiplicar e, com isso, aumentar a autocensura no meio jornalístico e evitar que os guatemaltecos participem de um debate político aberto e positivo.
New York, June 25, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the continued imprisonment of three Togolese journalists on charges of “publishing false information and disturbing public order.” Dimas Dzikodo and Philip Evégnon, editor-in-chief and publication director, respectively, of the private weekly L’Evenement, and Jean de Dieu Kpakpabia, journalist at the private…
New York, June 25, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the release of two journalists from prison today in Afghanistan. However, CPJ remains deeply concerned about government threats to prosecute the journalists for blasphemy in connection with articles published that were critical of Islam. Sayeed Mirhassan Mahdawi, the editor of the weekly newspaper Aftab,…