Newspaper shut down for criticizing Taylor regime
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the recent closure of The Analyst, an independent newspaper based in the capital, Monrovia. During the early morning hours of April 25, police shut down The Analyst and ransacked the publication’s offices. According to an Associated Press (AP) report, Monrovia police chief Paul Mulbah said the ban was permanent and refused to give reasons for the closure. “The paper is closed and will not print again. This is a government order,” Mulbah told the AP.
New press law would force journalists to reveal sources
New York, May 6, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned by the recent passage of the National Media Commission Bill 2002, a pernicious piece of legislation that would give a state-dominated commission the right to license journalists and force reporters to reveal confidential sources. Over the past year, Gambian journalists have made successful…
Three independent reporters arrested
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to condemn the arrests this week of three Harare-based, independent journalists Lloyd Mudiwa, Collin Chiwanza, and Andrew Meldrum. Central Intelligence Division officers arrested Mudiwa and Chiwanza, both staff writers at the privately owned Daily News, at their Harare office in the early morning hours of April 30.
Attorney general proposes restrictive media bill
New York, April 25, 2002—CPJ is alarmed that Kenyan attorney general Amos Wako has reintroduced a repressive media bill in Parliament. The contentious Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill would increase 100-fold the bond publishers must pay to insure against losses they may incur from libel or defamation suits. Currently, publishers must pay 10,000 shillings (US$129)…
Government uses harsh press laws to stifle criticism
Your Excellency: In May 2000, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote to you expressing concern that Togo’s harsh new Press Code would greatly inhibit the flow of information in your country. A spate of recent press freedom abuses has confirmed our fears.
Prominent editor arrested
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to protest your government’s continued harassment of independent journalists. Since June 1999, when the people of Zimbabwe voted against expanding the powers of the executive branch, your government has been systematically dismantling the constitutionally protected rights of Zimbabwean journalists.
Jailed journalists moved to undisclosed location
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned about the safety of 13 Eritrean journalists currently in the custody of your government. The journalists have not been charged with any crime since their September 2001 arrests. On March 31, 10 of the jailed journalists began a hunger strike to protest their unfair imprisonment. In a message smuggled out of Asmara Police Station One, where they are being detained, the journalists said they would refuse food until they were either released or charged and given a fair trial.
Two local journalists jailed for their work; more than 30 face charges
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is outraged by the ongoing prosecution and imprisonment of journalists in Ethiopia. We are particularly concerned about Lubaba Said and Melese Shine, two local journalists who are currently in jail for their work.
Jailed journalists on hunger strike
New York, April 3, 2002—Ten independent Eritrean journalists who have been jailed without charge since September began a hunger strike on March 31 to protest their continued detention, according to local and international sources. In a message smuggled from inside the Police Station One detention center in the capital, Asmara, the journalists said they would…