Sri Lanka: Freelance Tamil journalist arrested
New York, November 30, 2006—Sri Lankan authorities should either charge or release a freelance Tamil journalist detained for nearly a week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Parameswaree Maunasámi, who wrote for the Sinhala-language weekly Mawbima, was arrested at her home south of Colombo on November 24 along with another Tamil woman, according to…
Ching Cheong conviction upheld
UPDATED: November 27, 2006 Original Case: August 31, 2006 Ching Cheong, The Straits Times LEGAL ACTION The Beijing Higher People’s Court upheld Ching’s espionage conviction in a closed hearing on November 24. Ching, a Hong Kong reporter for The Straits Times, was sentenced to five years in prison in August.
Vietnam: Writer released from prison continues to be harassed
New York, November 27, 2006—Writer Pham Hong Son, who was freed from prison on August 30 in a presidential amnesty apparently intended to clear the way for Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization, says he continues to be harassed and kept under virtual house arrest in Hanoi. In an e-mail to Vietnamese dissident exile…
Pakistan: Amid public outcry, abducted journalist released
New York, November 21, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s release of BBC reporter Dilawar Khan Wazir, who had been seized from a taxi outside Islamabad by unidentified men a day before. Khan, who was not seriously injured, turned up at the BBC’s Islamabad office this evening, the network reported. The BBC reported that…
CPJ urges Pakistani authorities to probe journalist’s disappearance
New York, November 20, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistani authorities to immediately investigate the apparent disappearance of BBC Urdu-language reporter Dilawar Khan Wazir, who has not been heard from since leaving the capital, Islamabad, for his hometown of Dera Ismail Khan this morning, according to the BBC. Khan, who reports from the…
Vietnam: APEC leaders must press for release of journalist Nguyen Vu Binh
New York, November 16, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Asia Pacific leaders ahead of their meeting in Hanoi to encourage Vietnam to release its last remaining jailed journalist. Freelancer Nguyen Vu Binh is serving a seven-year sentence on espionage charges for criticizing a border agreement between Vietnam and China. Binh, who was…
At International Olympic Committee headquarters, CPJ raises concerns about press freedom in China
Lausanne, Switzerland, November 15, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the International Olympic Committee today to address the erosion of press freedom in China during the run-up to the Olympic Games in Beijing in August 2008. A CPJ delegation voiced its concerns that Chinese journalists, in particular, will bear the brunt of official retribution…
Sindh TV cable distribution halted
NOVEMBER 8, 2006 Posted: November 16, 2006 SINDH TV CENSORED Cable operators were ordered to stop delivering the privately owned Sindhi-language channel by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). The broadcaster was given no explanation by the government for its decision. The channel’s management said the authority did not say how long the ruling…
Three weeks after abduction, photographer released in Afghanistan
New York, November 3, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s release of Italian freelance photographer Gabriele Torsello three weeks after he was taken captive by gunmen in southern Afghanistan. The Italian government confirmed to news agencies Torsello’s release, which was first reported by PeaceReporter, a Web site that works closely with aid agencies in…