New York, May 31, 2005 The Chinese Foreign Ministry revealed today that it has detained senior Hong Kong-based journalist Ching Cheong on suspicion of espionage. In a statement released to reporters and published in international news reports, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it has been holding Ching since April 22 and that the journalist…
MAY 30, 2005 Posted: June 7, 2005 Nawroz Faisal Bidyut , Ajker Kagoj ATTACKED On May 30, BNP leader Abu Sayed Chand from the northeastern city of Rajshahi invited a reporter for the daily Ajker Kagoj to his office to discuss a recent article critical of Chand. When the reporter, Nawroz Faisal Bidyut, arrived, Chand…
MAY 28, 2005 Posted: June 7, 2005 Arifur Rahman, Prothom Alo ATTACKED Also on May 28, a senior reporter for the national daily Prothom Alo was beaten by police in the town of Narsingdi near Dhaka, local sources reported to CPJ. Arifur Rahman was trying to enter the town’s BNP office to cover the day’s…
New York, May 27, 2005—The Pakistani government has banned state-sponsored advertising in two newspapers owned by a leading conservative media company, the Urdu-language daily Nawa-i-Waqt and the English-language daily The Nation. According to reports in The Nation, last week’s ban was implemented in direct retaliation for an April ad that both dailies ran from the…
MAY 26, 2005 Posted: June 7, 2005 Manunur Rashid Rabi, Nayadiganto ATTACKED On May 26, a criminal gang attacked Manunur Rashid Rabi, correspondent for the daily Nayadiganto, in the eastern town of Gangni, police said. The attack was in retaliation for his articles about drug-related activities, the English-language daily The Daily Star reported. The gang…
New York, May 24, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Bangladesh to drop sedition charges against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, the editor and publisher of the now-defunct weekly tabloid Blitz. Choudhury will appear in court tomorrow to apply for an extension of his bail, which he received on April 30 after spending…
New York, May 24, 2005—Hundreds of journalists took to the streets of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, today in a silent protest of reported government moves to amend the media law to impose further restrictions on the press. The Kathmandu-based dailies Kantipur and Kathmandu Post, citing an unnamed source, reported late last week that officials had moved…
New York, May 23, 2005—The former presenter for a popular MTV-style music video program was shot and killed in her home in Kabul last week. Shaima Rezayee, 24, hosted the daily music program “Hop” on the private television channel Tolo TV until March. Police told The Associated Press that Rezayee was killed May 18 by…