New York, July 26, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today condemned an anti-corruption agency’s weekend raids against at least six newspapers, calling the tactic “unnecessary and heavy-handed.” Officers from the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) launched the raids after the six newspapers reported the name of a witness in a fraud investigation. The ICAC,…
New York, July 20, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls for the immediate release of writer Nguyen Dan Que, who spent 16 months in detention without charge. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court will finally try Que on July 29 on charges of “taking advantage of democratic rights to infringe upon the interests…
New York, July 14, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns today’s conviction of writer and military historian Pham Que Duong. The Hanoi People’s Court sentenced Duong to 19 months in prison on charges of “taking advantage of democratic rights to infringe upon the interests of the state.” The sentence accounts for time already served,…
New York, July 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is alarmed by the rapidly growing number of death threats against journalists and writers throughout Bangladesh. Since July 10, at least 24 journalists and writers have received death threats, all apparently from Islamic groups who accuse them of being “enemies of Islam” or “acting against…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned that Thailand’s criminal defamation laws are being used to suppress critical voices. In June, a court ruled that telecommunications giant Shin Corporation could sue media reformer Supinya Klangnarong for criminal libel. On July 5, London Times’ Bangkok correspondent Andrew Drummond was convicted of criminal libel in a separate suit.
New York, July 9, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the guilty verdict handed down today to writer Tran Khue. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court sentenced Khue, 68, to 19 months in prison on charges of “taking advantage of democratic rights to infringe upon the interests of the state” and of violating…
New York, July 7, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls for the immediate release of writers Pham Que Duong and Tran Khue, who were held without charge for 18 months. Khue is now expected to go to trial on July 9 in Ho Chi Minh City, with Duong’s trial scheduled for July 14 in…
New York, July 1, 2004—Australian journalist Carmela Baranowska, who was reported missing yesterday in southern Afghanistan, made contact with her employer, SBS Television, by satellite telephone today, according to international news reports. Following the call, SBS issued a statement saying “we are reassured as to her well-being and to the fact that she is not…
New York, June 30, 2004—Carmela Baranowska, a journalist and documentary filmmaker working for the Australian broadcast network SBS, was reported missing today in southern Afghanistan, along with her Afghan assistant and their driver, according to international news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is investigating the circumstances behind their disappearance. Baranowska, 35, has not…