VENEZUELA CPJ traced a decline in physical attacks against journalists in 2005, as five years of violent political upheaval finally subsided. President Hugo Chávez Frías further consolidated his control following a tumultuous recall vote the previous year that saw journalists assaulted and harassed by government supporters, opposition activists, and security forces. In 2005, the frequency…
VIETNAM Press conditions in Vietnam largely stagnated in 2005, despite efforts by the country’s leaders to project an image of greater openness. Three writers remained imprisoned on antistate charges for material distributed online; print and broadcast media continued to work under the supervision of the government; and attacks on journalists were common.
YEMEN Yemen’s press found itself on the defensive as a string of chilling attacks occurred against a backdrop of armed conflict, economic upheaval, and public protests. The release of imprisoned editor Abdel Kareem al-Khawaini was a bright spot in an otherwise troubled year that saw harassment and violent attacks against journalists on the rise. President…
ZIMBABWE In the run-up to parliamentary elections in March, the government of President Robert Mugabe further tightened repressive legislation that has been used to drastically reduce the independent media and its freedom to operate. Independent journalists continued to face police harassment, official intimidation, and the constant threat of arrest under the draconian laws. Several more…
February 15, 2006 Original Alert: January 31, 2006 Radiotélévision La Colombe CENSORED Radiotélévision La Colombe (RTC) began broadcasting again on February 10, almost two weeks after shutting down over security fears, the Congolese press freedom group Journaliste en Danger (JED) reported. The station is based in the eastern town of Rutshuru, where fighting broke out…
February 15, 2006 Original Alert: November 9, 2005 Fred M’membe, The Post HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION The Zambian state declined to prosecute award-winning journalist M’membe for criticizing President Levy Mwanawasa. M’membe, editor of Zambia’s leading daily The Post, was charged with insulting the president in November 2005. He was released on bail after six hours in…
New York, February 15, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists voiced concern today about the fate of Paraguayan radio journalist Enrique Galeano, who has been missing since February 4. CPJ is investigating whether his disappearance is related to his journalistic work. Galeano, who hosts a morning news and music show on Radio Azotey, disappeared in Yby…
New York, February 15, 2006—The weekly Le Journal Hebdomadaire has accused Moroccan authorities of orchestrating protests against it for publishing a photograph of a French newspaper showing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. The Casablanca-based newspaper said in a statement that for two days this week protesters have demonstrated against it and that two state-run…
New York, February 15, 2006—A new judge in the trial of Chechens charged with killing Forbes-Russia Editor Paul Klebnikov rejected a defense appeal today to open the hearing to the public. A spokesman for the Klebnikov family told The Associated Press that the judge at the Moscow City Court ruled the decision to close the…
New York, February 13, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the arrest of three journalists in Yemen and two in Algeria for publishing controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Their newspapers have all been ordered closed. Mohammed Al-Asadi, editor-in-chief of the Yemen Observer, has been detained by the office of the print and…