Asia
2005
U.S. sends wrong message to the world
Restrictive regimes around the world came out ahead. Many were already taking a cue from a U.S. case involving the leak of a CIA officer’s name when the Supreme Court announced this week that it would not hear an appeal by two journalists. The reporters, Matthew Cooper of Time magazine and Judith Miller of The New York Times, face 18-month jail terms for not revealing their confidential sources.
CHINA
JUNE 30, 2005 Posted: July 28, 2005 Li Jianping, freelancer IMPRISIONED The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the imprisonment of Internet journalist Li Jianping on suspicion of defamation. Authorities detained Li on May 27 in Zibo, a city in northeastern China’s Shandong Province, and formally arrested him for defamation on June 30, according to ChinaEForum,…
BANGLADESH
JUNE 28, 2005 Posted: July 18, 2005 Nazneen Akhter, Janakantha Journalists at Jugantor, Ittefaq and Prothom Alo THREATENED Janakantha reported that Nazneen Akhter, a reporter for the newspaper in Dhaka, had been threatened after her coverage of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activities at a women’s college. JCD is the ruling party’s student wing.
BANGLADESH
JUNE 28, 2005 Posted: July 18, 2005 Shafiqul Islam, Janakantha ATTACKED Four men identified as cadres of Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), an outlawed Islamic militant group headed by Bangla Bhai, attacked Shafiqul on his way to the Bagmara Press Club in Rajshahi, according to The Daily Star. Shafiqul is a Janakantha correspondent who had…
Thousands of Chinese journalists appeal for release of colleagues
New York, June 28, 2005–More than 2,000 journalists have signed an open letter to the Guangdong High People’s Court appealing for the release of imprisoned Nanfang Dushi Bao employees Yu Huafeng and Li Minying. The letter describes Yu and Li as innocent victims of an unjust prosecution. It was signed by 2,356 journalists who work…
CPJ condemns censorship of two Web sites
New York, June 28, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Thai government’s censorship of two political news Web sites and the harassment of outspoken radio journalist Anchalee Paireerak, who quit as host of the program “Thailand Review” and intends to go into exile in response to the intimidation. “Shutting down two Web sites that…
Philippine journalist murders far from solved, mission finds
Manila, Philippines, June 26, 2005—Despite Philippine government claims that it has solved more than half of journalist murders since 1986, a joint mission by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance has found that the official definition of “solved cases” is misleading, that justice has not been served in the vast…
Nepalese authorities harass journalists for reporting on the military
New York, June 23, 2005—Nepalese authorities continue to harass and intimidate journalists who independently cover military activities. Local newspapers report that two editors were interrogated this week and urged to disclose their sources for stories involving the Royal Nepalese Army. Police today questioned Kishor Karki, editor of Blast Time, a daily newspaper based in the…
NEPAL
JUNE 22-23, 2005 Posted: June 30, 2005 Kishor Karki, Blast TimeKishor Shrestha, Jana Aastha HARASSED Police questioned Kishor Karki, editor of Blast Time, a daily newspaper based in the town of Dharan, about his reporting on a clash between the government and Maoist rebels, according to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ).
NEPAL
JUNE 22, 2005 Posted: June 24, 2005 Ten journalists HARASSED Police arrested 10 journalists who were protesting media restrictions in Banepa, in the central district of Kavre, according to nepalnews.com and local sources. Journalists had gathered to read poetry and sing in support of press freedom and democracy. They were arrested after entering an area…