SOMALIA
JANUARY 28, 2005 Posted: February 7, 2005 HornAfrik Radio ATTACKED Two unidentified men threw two grenades at the premises of private radio station HornAfrik in the capital, Mogadishu, at around 10 p.m., according to local press freedom group SOJON. The grenades exploded, but the station confirmed that there were no serious casualties or serious damage…
MOZAMBIQUE
JANUARY 27, 2005 Posted: February 2, 2005 Jeremias Langa, STV THREATENED Two men commandeered Langa’s car in the capital, Maputo, forced him to drive around the city for a half hour, held guns to his head, and threatened to kill him, according to a statement from the private television station STV, where Langa works as…
Response from the Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon
Dear Mrs. Cooper, We hereby acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 14, 2005 addressed to His Excellency Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA, regarding Mr. Eric Wirkwa Tayu, publisher of a private newspaper in Cameroon. Mr. Tayu, you claim, “has been in prison since July 28, 2004 when he was convicted of defaming Kumbo’s mayor, Donatus Njong Fonyuy….”
Fugitive in Cardoso murder returned to Mozambique
New York, January 24, 2005—A fugitive in the murder of investigative reporter Carlos Cardoso has been returned to Mozambique, where he faces a new trial in the November 2000 slaying. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for the prompt prosecution and secure detention of Anibal Antonio dos Santos Junior, who has escaped from custody…
CPJ calls for release of jailed publication director
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by the recent jailing of Jules Koum Koum, publication director of the private bimonthly Le Jeune Observateur, on criminal defamation charges. Two journalists are now imprisoned in Cameroon for their work.
CPJ protests government restrictions on media content
New York, January 21, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has imposed restrictions on the content of private broadcasters. A memo issued by DRC Information Minister Henri Mova Sakanyi on January 18 states that “religious and thematic” broadcasters should refrain from airing all news and…
NIGERIA
JANUARY 20, 2005 Posted February 7, 2005 Eastern PilotCENSORED State Security Service (SSS) agents raided newsstands and harassed vendors selling copies of the local tabloid Eastern Pilot in the southeastern city of Enugu. The SSS also detained and questioned Clement Egbuche, the Enugu chairman of the Newspapers Vendors’ Association of Nigeria, and searched his office,…
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
JANUARY 18, 2005 Posted: February 2, 2005 Canal Kin TV Canal Congo TV Radio Liberté Kinshasa CENSORED Officials cut the transmissions of two private television stations and a radio station owned by Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba—Canal Kin TV (CKTV), Canal Congo TV (CCTV), and Radio Liberté Kinshasa (RALIK).
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
JANUARY 18, 2005 Posted: February 2, 2005 All Media CENSORED A memo issued by DRC Information Minister Henri Mova Sakanyi states that “religious and thematic” broadcasters should refrain from airing all news and political programs and orders the suspension of all live phone-in programs.
CPJ condemns prison sentence for journalist in hiding
New York, January 18, 2005—A reporter with the independent Congolese daily La Référence Plus was sentenced in absentia to four months in jail for criminal defamation on January 5, according to local press freedom group Journaliste en Danger (JED) and sources at the newspaper. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the ruling and called on…