2006
Critical journalist held on spurious drug charge, colleagues say
New York, July 11, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the detention of a critical journalist in Azerbaijan on what local press freedom activists and opposition journalists call trumped up drug charges. Sakit Zakhidov, a prominent reporter and satirist for the Baku-based daily opposition newspaper Azadlyg, has been held since June 23. Azadlyg…
CPJ condemns murder of freelance journalist
New York, July 10, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of Bapuwa Mwamba, a Congolese journalist who worked for several local publications in the capital, Kinshasa. Mwamba was shot by unidentified gunmen who burst into his home July 8. CPJ is investigating whether the murder was linked to Mwamba’s journalistic work.
Overseas broadcaster reports jamming
UPDATE July 10, 2006 Original Case: March 7, 2005 SW Radio Africa CENSORED SW Radio Africa, a private broadcaster based in the United Kingdom and founded by exiled Zimbabwean journalists, reported June 26, 2006 that its medium-wave broadcasts into Zimbabwe were jammed in the capital, Harare.
Newspaper allowed to publish after long ban
UPDATE July 10, 2006 Original Protest Letter: December 23, 2003 L’Autre Journal CENSORED Gabon’s government-controlled media regulatory body, the National Council on Communications (CNC), ruled on June 22 to re-authorize the private bimonthly L’Autre Journal to publish, according to the state-owned daily L’Union. The decision came two and a half years after the paper was…
Journalist released after more than two months in jail
JULY 10, 2006 Last Alert: June 23, 2006 Kazadi Kwambi Kasumpata, Lubilanji Expansion IMPRISONED, LEGAL ACTION Kasumpata, a journalist working for the small private weekly Lubilanji Expansion in the capital, Kinshasa, was provisionally released on July 5 after spending more than two months in prison on defamation charges. He was freed on orders from the…
Newspaper directors sentenced to jail for defaming Finance Minister
May 2006 Posted: July 10, 2006 Peter William Mandio, Le Front Michel Michaut Moussala, Aurore Plus Socrate Dipanda, Le Constat LEGAL ACTION The directors of three private newspapers were convicted of defaming Finance Minister Polycarpe Abah Abah in a series of critical articles and sentenced to prison in May 2006, according to the state-owned daily…
Bangladesh: Office of controversial magazine Weekly Blitz bombed
New York, July 7, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a bomb attack on the office of the Bangladeshi magazine Weekly Blitz whose editor is on trial for sedition after writing about radical Islam. Editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury told CPJ that two small devices exploded Wednesday outside the Weekly Blitz office in…
Cambodia: Editor receives death threats
New York, July 7, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by a series of death threats made against You Saravuth, editor of the bi-weekly Khmer-language newspaper Sralanh Khmer . Saravuth has gone into hiding and could not be contacted by CPJ. “We call upon Prime Minister Hun Sen to quickly launch an…
Armenian editor jailed without bail; political motives cited
New York, July 7, 2006 — The editor of an opposition daily has been jailed in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, for more than two weeks without bail. Arman Babadzhanian, editor-in-chief of Zhamanak Yerevan (Yerevan Times), faces up to five years in prison for allegedly forging documents to avoid military service, but the Committee to Protect…
Russia: Two years after Klebnikov’s murder, still no justice
New York, July 7, 2006 — Two years after the contract-style killing of Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov, his assassins remain at large and judicial secrecy and procedural issues have crippled his family’s quest for justice. Klebnikov, a 41-year-old U.S. journalist of Russian descent, was shot outside his Moscow office on July 9, 2004, in…