2005
IRAQ
AUGUST 3, 2005 Posted: August 4, 2005 Steven Vincent, freelance KILLED—CONFIRMED Vincent, who had written for a number of U.S. publications and was working on a book, was abducted along with his translator, Noor al-Khal, on August 2. They were taken by armed men driving what initial press reports described variously as a pickup truck…
American journalist murdered in Basra
New York, August 3, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is shocked and alarmed by the murder of U.S. freelance journalist and author Steven Vincent, whose bullet-riddled body was found today in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Vincent, who had written for a number of U.S. publications and was working on a book, was abducted…
Radio journalist arrested in Jowhar
New York, August 3, 2005—A journalist for the Mogadishu-based independent radio station HornAfrik was arrested in Jowhar last night following a critical report about transitional federal authorities, according to the Somali Journalists Network (SOJON) and other local sources. Abdullahi Kulmiye Adow was still in police detention late today, they said. It was not clear whether…
CPJ alarmed by Sri Lankan president’s comments against senior journalist
New York, August 3, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by intimidating remarks made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga against senior defense correspondent Iqbal Athas last week. Speaking to a closed meeting of 1,000 top military and police officials in Colombo on July 26, the president accused Athas of publishing sensitive information harmful to Sri…
SOMALIA
AUGUST 2, 2005 Posted: August 17, 2005 Abdullahi Kulmiye Adow, HornAfrik IMPRISONED, HARASSED Adow, a reporter for the Mogadishu-based independent radio station HornAfrik, was detained on August 2 by militia loyal to local faction leader Mohamed Dhere. Dhere is a supporter of Somalia’s Transitional Federal President Abdullahi Yusuf, who recently established a temporary headquarters in…
PHILIPPINES
AUGUST 2, 2005 Posted: August 9, 2005 Glenda M. Gloria, Newsbreak THREATENED A funeral wreath was delivered to the residence of Gloria’s mother on the night of August 2, according to a statement released by the Manila-based news magazine. The flowers came with the message, “Condolence from your loving friends.” The delivery person identified the…
RUSSIA
AUGUST 2, 2005 Posted: August 9, 2005 ABC Andrei Babitsky, ABC HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION The Foreign Ministry announced steps to bar the U.S. television network ABC from reporting in Russia. The ministry said in a statement that ABC reporters had been denied access to government officials and that their accreditations will not be renewed when…
CPJ calls for independent inquiry into editor’s death
Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by the July 28 death of independent newspaper editor Harry Yansaneh. An autopsy attributed Yansaneh’s death to kidney failure. Yansaneh, acting editor of the daily For Di People, was assaulted on May 10 by a group of attackers. Prior to his death, Yansaneh alleged that Member of Parliament Fatmata Hassan had ordered the attack, according to local sources and press freedom organizations. Hassan, a member of your Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), was seeking at the time to evict For Di People and five other independent newspapers from the office space they had rented from her family for many years. The other newspapers were The Independent Observer, The Pool, The African Champion, The Pioneer and The Progress.
Venezuelan prosecutor ‘offended’ by editorial, launches probe
Dear Mr. Rodríguez: The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom around the world, is deeply concerned about the investigation your office has opened against the Caracas-based daily El Universal after it published an editorial that criticized your office and the judiciary.