We issued the following statement today after learning that a criminal defamation suit had been brought against Colombian writer and journalist Alfredo Molano:”We are alarmed by the criminal defamation suit brought by a politically influential family against Alfredo Molano over a column in the daily El Espectador,” said Carlos Lauria, CPJ’s Americas senior program coordinator.…
A couple of weeks ago, the Colombian government admitted that during a daring hostage rescue mission–code-named Operation Check–one of its soldiers had disguised himself as a member of the Red Cross. Then last week, Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia’s defense minister, divulged that two of the soldiers had taken on the mantle of journalists. One posed…
New York, July 30, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the health of imprisoned Cuban journalist Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, who has been on a hunger strike for 12 days to demand better prison conditions.
July 29, 2008 Juan Manuel Santos Minister of Defense Carrera 54 No. 26-25 CAN Bogotá, Colombia Dear Mr. Santos: Following the successful July 2 hostage rescue operation that ended with the release of 15 captives held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), we are writing to express our concern about the fact that…
New York, July 28, 2008–Armed and hooded men threatened three Brazilian photographers covering a weekend visit by Sen. Marcelo Crivella, a Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate, to a poor city neighborhood. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Brazilian authorities to ensure that journalists covering sensitive issues such as drug trafficking and organized crime…
New York, July 28, 2008–A Panamanian judge barred sports columnist Bienvenido Brown from leaving the country and ordered him to stand trial on criminal defamation charges filed in 2005. Eleventh Criminal Court Judge Josefina Sclopis issued the ruling on Friday against Brown, a columnist with the daily La Estrella de Panamá, the newspaper reported. The…
JULY 27, 2008 Posted August 6, 2008 Edín Rodelmiro Maas Bol, Radio Punto ATTACKED Unidentified individuals fired gunshots at the home of journalist Edín Rodelmiro Maas Bol moments after he had entered the house in Cobán, Alta Verapaz province, the reporter told CPJ.
New York, July 24, 2008–Unidentified individuals set fire to the home of critical journalist Jeso Carneiro on Sunday night in the northern city of Santarém. No one was injured but the house suffered considerable damage. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Brazilian authorities to investigate the attack and provide the necessary protection to allow…
New York, July 16, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists is encouraged by the decision of Spanish authorities to reactivate the investigation into the 2004 murder of Antena 3 correspondent Ricardo Ortega, who was fatally shot in Haiti while covering the ouster of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide. As part of this process, CPJ European consultant…
New York, July 8, 2008–Ecuadoran government agents seized two private television stations early this morning and shuttered a critical radio station late Monday night. The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by allegations that the actions were politically motivated. Members of the government’s Deposit Guarantee Agency (AGD), backed by dozens of police officers, seized the…