New York, February 22, 2005—Two Indonesian journalists and their driver, who were abducted by gunmen last week west of Baghdad, were released yesterday, according to international press reports. According to The Associated Press (AP), reporter Meutya Viada Hafid and cameraman Budiyanto, who work for Indonesia’s 24-hour news channel Metro TV, and their driver, Ibrahim Abdel…
New York, February 22, 2005—A car bomb exploded Sunday night outside the offices of RCN Television and Radio in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city. A security guard and sound engineer were injured in the blast, which significantly damaged the facilities. About 66 pounds (30 kilograms) of explosives were packed into a blue Renault car and detonated…
New York, February 22, 2005—The Interior Ministry in North Ossetia says a journalist recently ordered deported by the Federal Security Service may instead stay in Russia and reapply for citizenship, according to local press reports. But the apparent shift does not lift any of the restrictions that have prevented Yuri Bagrov—who has covered the North…
Dear President Bush: The Committee to Protect Journalists is extremely concerned about the dramatic decline in press freedom under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s tenure, including a recent surge in new media restrictions spearheaded by the Kremlin and its allies.
FEBRUARY 20, 2005 Posted: February 22, 2005 RCN Television and Radio ATTACKED A car bomb exploded at 10:15 p.m. outside the offices of RCN Television and Radio in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city. A security guard and sound engineer were injured in the blast, which significantly damaged the facilities.
New York, February 18, 2005—Two Indonesian television journalists and their driver were seized by Iraqi gunmen in the city of Ramadi this week, an Indonesian government spokesman told reporters today. Reporter Meutya Hafid and a cameraman identified as Budiyanto, who work for Indonesia’s 24-hour news channel Metro TV, went missing on Tuesday while driving from…
New York, February 17, 2005—Guinean security forces arrested the editor of one of the nation’s leading private weeklies at his home in the capital, Conakry, on Wednesday night. Authorities did not disclose charges against Mohamed Lamine Diallo, known by his pen name Benn Pépito, but local journalists believe the arrest could be linked to his…
FEBRUARY 16, 2005 Posted: February 23, 2005 Mohamed Lamine Diallo (also known as Benn Pépito), La Lance IMPRISONED, HARASSED Security forces arrested Diallo, known by his pen name Benn Pépito, at his home in the capital, Conakry. He was released on February 19, after three days in custody. Local journalists said they believe the arrest…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled that Radio France Internationale’s (RFI) FM broadcasts in Djibouti have been cut since January 14. According to RFI and French media reports, Djiboutian authorities silenced the broadcaster because of its report on an ongoing French legal inquiry into the 1995 death in Djibouti of Bernard Borrel, a French judge. RFI reported on January 12 that a French court had summoned the head of the Djiboutian secret services, Hassan Saïd, as a witness in the inquiry. An earlier French inquiry conducted in Djibouti had concluded that Borrel committed suicide.
Dear Ambassador Shrestha: Thank you for meeting with Joel Simon, deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and CPJ Washington, D.C., Representative Frank Smyth last week. As communicated in that meeting, CPJ is deeply alarmed at the treatment of Nepalese journalists since King Gyanendra’s February 1 declaration of a state of emergency, and we urged your government to restore press freedom immediately in the interests of your nation’s citizens and its international standing. We greatly appreciate your offer to convey our grave concerns to the king.