In Thailand, moves by military junta threaten press freedom
New York, September 21, 2006—As Thailand’s new ruling military junta imposed restrictions on the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the transitional authority to uphold the press freedom guarantees enshrined in the recently dissolved 1997 constitution. The ruling Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) called a meeting today with senior…
China: Founder of popular Aegean Sea Web site arrested
New York, September 20, 2006— The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the arrest in China of the founder of Aegean Sea, the popular Web site closed down March 9. Zhang Jianhong was detained September 6 on allegations of “inciting subversion” through his online political essays, according to news reports and CPJ sources. Zhang’s…
Pakistan: Police attack TV crews covering religious rally in Lahore
New York, September 18, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the police beating of television crews covering a religious rally in Pakistan. Journalists said police officers attacked two journalists from Pakistan’s ATV terrestrial network who were covering a meeting of the Sunni Tehrik (Sunni Movement) religious organization in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday…
Pakistan: Reporter killed by masked gunmen
New York, September 15, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough and timely investigation into the shooting death of journalist Maqbool Hussain Sail. Two masked gunmen on a motorcycle shot Sail late Thursday in Dera Ismail Khan, 175 miles (280 kilometers) southwest of Islamabad, according to the Rural…
Singapore: Leaders again resort to lawsuits to muzzle press critics
New York, September 14, 2006— The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces the defamation suit brought by the Singapore leadership against the publisher and editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review over an article about an opposition politician in the tightly controlled city-state. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former premier turned Minister Mentor,…
China: Government restricts foreign news distribution
New York, September 11, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by China’s announcement Sunday that the state-controlled Xinhua News Agency would oversee the distribution of foreign news and information within China, and would censor all news stories, photographs and other information deemed offensive under several broad categories.
Sri Lanka: Tamil newspaper pleads for protection from attacks
New York, September 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Sri Lankan authorities to fulfill their duty to protect the staff of the pro-Tamil Jaffna newspaper Uthayan, which was threatened and coerced on Thursday. The incident was the latest in a series of attacks and acts of intimidation against the newspaper. E. Saravanapavan, Uthayan’s…