2006
Indonesian journalist tried on religious defamation charges
New York, August 31, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the criminal defamation trial of Indonesian journalist Teguh Santosa, who faces charges of defaming Islam by posting online controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. State prosecutors outlined the criminal charges, which under Indonesia’s penal code carry a possible five years in prison, at the trial’s…
China: Apple subcontractor reduces libel damages claim
New York, August 31, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the decision today of an Apple Computer subcontractor in China to reduced its demand for punitive libel damages against two journalists who investigated alleged labor abuses. The company, which makes iPods in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, also asked a local court to unfreeze…
In China, Hong Kong journalist sentenced to five years in prison
New York, August 31, 2006—A court in Beijing today sentenced Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong, China correspondent for The Straits Times, to five years in prison on charges of spying for Taiwan. The Committee to Protect Journalists noted that authorities have not presented evidence that Ching committed any crime, and that his jailing appears to…
Pro-democracy writer freed from Vietnamese prisonwith conditions
New York, August 30, 2006—Writer Pham Hong Son was freed from prison today several months ahead of his scheduled release, but he faces three years of restricted movements and government surveillance, his wife told reporters. Son, a medical doctor who spent more than four years in prison after posting pro-democracy writings online, was included in…
Sri Lankan journalist freed after 20 hours in captivity
New York, August 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release today of Sri Lankan radio producer Nadaraja Guruparan, who was abducted by gunmen in the capital, Colombo, early Tuesday. Guruparan said he was held for about 20 hours by kidnappers who had forced him out of his car as he drove to work…
BBC reporter’s brother killed in Pakistani tribal area
New York, August 30, 2006—The teenage brother of a BBC correspondent was found murdered today in South Waziristan, a violent and lawless tribal region along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Taimor Khan, 16, brother of Dilawar Wazir, an Urdu language reporter for the BBC, was abducted in the town of Wana on his way home from…
China: CPJ troubled by libel case against journalists reporting on Apple supplier
New York, August 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the filing of a defamation suit and the freezing of the assets of two journalists who investigated alleged labor abuses by a maker of Apple iPods in China. A subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd of Taiwan is suing reporter Wang You and…
Venezuelan columnist shot to death in front of home
New York, August 29, 2006—An unidentified assailant shot and killed Venezuelan columnist Jesús Rafael Flores Rojas last week in front of his home in El Tigre in southwestern Anzoátegui province. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating whether Flores’ murder is related to his journalistic work. Flores, known locally as “El Pavo Flores,” was editorial…
Sri Lanka: Veteran Tamil journalist feared abducted
New York, August 29, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that veteran Sri Lankan journalist Nadarajah Guruparan is missing and feared abducted in Colombo today. The Free Media Movement, a local press group, reported that Guruparan, a producer, left for work at the privately owned Tamil-language radio station Sooriyan, or Sun…