2007
MEXICO: Border journalist flees the country after violent attack
APRIL 14, 2007 Posted June 26, 2007 Claudio Tiznado, Géneros THREATENED, ATTACKED Tiznado, an investigative reporter for the Hermosillo-based bimonthly publication Géneros, fled Mexico after two unidentified individuals beat him and warned him to stop writing.
Russian journalist found dead hours after broadcast on prior attack
New York, April 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Russian authorities to fully investigate the death of Vyacheslav Ifanov, a cameraman for the independent Novoye Televideniye Aleiska (NTA), in the Siberian city of Aleisk. Prosecutors have classified Ifanov’s death as suicide by gas poisoning, but relatives and colleagues suspect foul play.
Appeals court upholds criminal libel sentence of two journalists
New York, April 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a Baku Appeals Court decision today to uphold the convictions of two journalists with the independent weekly Nota Bene on charges of defaming Interior Minister Ramil Usubov in a series of articles that described corruption and infighting in the agency. The court let stand a…
TV talk show hosts get two-year jail sentences for defamation
New York, April 13, 2007—The prison terms handed down to two Bangkok talk show hosts emphasizes the need to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court made the ruling on Thursday in relation to allegations television political commentators Samak Sundaravej and Dusit Siriwan made during their talk shows on…
In Malawi, private radio stations censored over political coverage
New York, April 13, 2007—Live radio broadcasts of opposition rallies in the lead-up to presidential polls in 2009 led state regulators in the commercial city of Blantyre this week to bar all private radio stations in Malawi from airing live broadcasts without permission, according to local journalists and media reports. Officials accused unnamed stations of…
CPJ welcomes Calderón’s signature on landmark defamation law
New York, April 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa’s signature on legislation that effectively eliminates criminal defamation, libel, and slander at the federal level, making Mexico the second country in Latin America to repeal defamation as a criminal offense. “We praise President Calderón for signing this important piece of…
In Uzbekistan, third charge brought against imprisoned journalist Umida Niyazova
New York, April 12, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a third charge against a Tashkent-based independent journalist and human rights researcher, who has been imprisoned since January 22. Umida Niyazova, 32, covered politics and human rights in Uzbekistan for the Central Asia news Web site Oasis, a project of the Moscow-based media…
CPJ calls on Russian President Putin to investigate Ivan Safronov’s death as murder
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on you to act on your recent pledge to protect Russia’s press corps by ensuring that Moscow prosecutors thoroughly investigate the death of defense correspondent Ivan Safronov. There is sufficient basis to investigate Safronov’s death as murder, given its circumstances and the sensitivity of his reporting beat.
In Gaza, CPJ appeals for BBC correspondent’s immediate release
New York, April 12, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists joins today’s international actions appealing for the immediate release of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was abducted in the Gaza Strip one month ago. “It is deeply troubling that a month after the kidnapping of our colleague Alan Johnston his abductors remain silent,” CPJ Executive Director…
Somali government detains three TV journalists
New York, April 11, 2007— Three journalists of Somali-language international broadcaster Universal Television were arrested in the capital Mogadishu in connection with questions they asked during a presidential interview, according to local journalists. On Sunday, director Abdulkader Ashir Nadara, reporter Bashir Dirie Naleye, and cameraman Hamud Mohammed Osman of the London-based satellite network were exclusively…