New York, December 10, 2004—The ongoing violence in Iraq and a rash of killings in the Philippines have made 2004 the deadliest year for journalists in a decade. According to research compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 54 journalists have been killed in the line of duty so far this year, surpassing the toll…
New York, December 9, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounced the sentence imposed today on local Rhode Island television reporter Jim Taricani, who was ordered to spend the next six months under house arrest for refusing to reveal who leaked him an FBI surveillance tape. Taricani, an investigative reporter with the NBC-owned affiliate station, WJAR-TV,…
New York, December 8, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged that Chinese authorities have detained journalist Shi Tao, putting the total number jailed in the country at 42. On November 24, freelance journalist Shi was taken into custody because of his writings criticizing Chinese policy. Police from the security bureau of Changsha, Hunan Province,…
New York, December 7, 2004—The man who headed an independent Havana news agency has been freed after more than 20 months behind bars, becoming the sixth Cuban journalist to be released in recent months. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Cuban officials to immediately release the 23 journalists still jailed after the government’s massive…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the imprisonment of Eric Wirkwa Tayu, publisher of the small private newspaper Nso Voice, which is based in the western town of Kumbo. According to local sources, Tayu has been in prison in Kumbo since July 28, when he was convicted of defaming Kumbo’s mayor, Donatus Njong Fonyuy.
New York, December 2, 2004—The body of a young reporter was found Saturday in a garbage bin on the outskirts of Tabuk in remote Kalinga Province, the latest slaying in one of the deadliest years on record for Filipino journalists. Police believe that Stephen Omaois, 24, was bludgeoned to death, according to international news reports.…
Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged at your government’s continued clampdown on independent media in Zimbabwe, including proposed new legislation that could be used to jail journalists for up to 20 years. At a time when several other African countries are lifting criminal sanctions for press offenses, bringing their laws in line with international standards, Your Excellency’s government is preparing to introduce penalties that are among the harshest on the continent. This will only further impede Zimbabwe’s media, which already face other restrictive laws.
New York, December 1, 2004—A newspaper photographer was gunned down Sunday in front of his family in a cafeteria in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, home to some of Mexico’s top drug traffickers. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating the slaying to determine whether it was connected to his journalistic work.