Asia
2005
AFGHANISTAN
SEPTEMBER 2, 2005 Posted October 17, 2005 Ezatullah Zawab, Pajhwok Afghan News and Meena IMPRISONED Zawab was arrested on September 2 in Jalalabad, capital of eastern Nangarhar province, after criticizing local government officials. Zawab is a staff correspondent for the independent news service Pajhwok Afghan News and editor of the monthly Meena magazine.
CPJ calls for investigation into disappearance of Indonesian journalist
New York, September 2, 2005—A journalist on the island of Nias off the western coast of Sumatra is missing 16 days after he left home to report on a murder. The Committee to Protect Journalists is probing the disappearance of Elyuddin Telaumbanua, a reporter for the daily Berita Sore, and called today for a thorough…
SRI LANKA
August 30, 2005 Posted: November 8, 2005 Sudar OliATTACKED Staff and offices of the Tamil-language newspaper Sudar Oli came under a spate of attacks. On August 29, two men lobbed grenades into the building housing its printing press, killing a guard and injuring two other staff members. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse condemned the attack as…
CPJ alarmed by planned legal action against Kantipur
New York, August 26, 2005 The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by Minister for Information and Communication Tanka Dhakal’s confirmation yesterday that the government has initiated legal action against Kantipur Publications following the publication of an allegedly “objectionable” cartoon. Dhakal told a news conference in Kathmandu “The government action has begun. You will…
Imprisoned journalist Shi Tao’s family files for review of appeal
New York, August 25, 2005—The mother of a journalist serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges of “illegally leaking state secrets abroad” is seeking a review of her son’s court appeal. Gao Qinsheng, mother of imprisoned journalist Shi Tao, has alleged “serious procedural defects” in the proceeding, the human rights group Human Rights in China…
CPJ concerned by reports of editors’ imminent arrest
New York, August 25, 2005—The editors of Nepal’s two leading daily newspapers believe police plan to arrest them for their coverage of political unrest in the Himalayan kingdom, whose leadership has imposed widespread curbs on press freedom this year. Narayan Wagle, editor of Kantipur, and Prateek Pradhan, editor of the Kathmandu Post, were told by…
Sindh bans three newspapers, editor jailed
New York, August 23, 2005—The government of the southern province of Sindh banned three Karachi-based weekly newspapers last week accusing them of creating “sectarian extremism and hatred.” Officials withdrew the publication permits of the three weeklies on August 15 because they published “objectionable material” that caused “danger to public safety/order.” Police had already raided the…
CPJ concerned about delay in witness testimony in Thai trial
New York, August 19, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a delay in the testimony of three international expert witnesses who were scheduled to appear in court in Bangkok this week in defense of media activist Supinya Klangnarong, who is on trial with the Thai-language daily Thai Post on criminal defamation charges. Shin…