Radio station set ablaze
July 2, 2006 Posted July 5, 2006 DWRC-FM radio station attacked Armed men set fire to the community radio station DWRC FM Radyo Cagayano, in Baggao town in Cagayan province, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Manila, according to local news reports and the Philippines Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility. The station…
Burma: Court upholds prison sentences
UPDATE: July 5, 2006 Original Alert: April 4, 2006 Ko Thar Cho, freelance Ko Kyaw Thwin, Dhamah Yate LEGAL ACTION On June 21, a court in the central town of Yamaethin upheld the three-year prison sentences for journalists Ko Thar Cho and Ko Kyaw Thwin, who were first charged on March 27 for photographing and…
Sri Lanka: Freelance Journalist Shot Dead
New York, July 5, 2006 — The body of freelance reporter Sampath Lakmal, a contributor to the Sinhala-language weekly Sathdina, was found in a southern suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Sunday. He had been shot after leaving his house to meet a contact on Saturday night, according to local media reports and the…
African leaders urged to defend press freedom
Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you as chairman of the African Union to discuss with your fellow heads of state and government at your summit in the Gambian capital, Banjul, from July 1, the need to defend press freedom on the continent.
Press club stormed during news conference
JUNE 29, 2006 Posted: June 30, 2006 Peshawar Press Club ATTACKED Dozens of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) activists stormed into the Peshawar Press Club during a news conference held by dissident PML members. The activists, who were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, pistols and sticks, beat up journalists and dissident members when they were asked…
China plans restrictions on reporting of disasters
New York, June 26, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by a proposed law that would subject news outlets to fines for reporting on natural disasters, riots, and other emergencies without official approval. The draft law is under review by the country’s legislature, according to state media.
Sri Lanka: CPJ concerned by move to reinstate state-controlled Press Council
New York, June 23, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today about the Sri Lankan government’s reinstatement of a politically appointed Press Council with the authority to penalize news outlets and journalists for their reporting. Mass Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa announced on Thursday that the cabinet had approved the restoration of…
Two Pakistani journalists charged after months in custody
New York, June 22, 2006—Authorities filed criminal cases against Geo TV correspondent Mukesh Rupeta and freelance cameraman Sanjay Kumar today, more than three months after the two disappeared in Jacobabad in south Pakistan’s Sindh province. The two journalists were accused of filming a Pakistani air force base in violation of the Official Secrets Act, and…