Pakistani journalist acquitted of treason charges
New York, April 25, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the decision of an antiterrorism court in the southwestern city of Quetta to acquit Khawar Mehdi Rizvi and his two associates, Allah Noor and Abdullah Shakir, of treason. Judge Shaukat Ali Rakhshani acquitted the three on Saturday because of lack of evidence by the prosecution,…
Pre-anniversary harassment aims to silence dissident writers
New York, April 25, 2005 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the recent official harassment of dissident writers Nguyen Thanh Giang and Tran Khue. In an apparent attempt to silence dissent before the 30th anniversary of the defeat of U.S. forces, articles in the state media denounced the two writers for their views, and…
CPJ condemns attacks on Pakistani journalists covering opposition
New York, April 19, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a series of police attacks and acts of obstruction aimed at journalists covering the opposition Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) activities on Friday and Saturday. CPJ today called on authorities to punish those responsible for the abuses. About 50 journalists traveling with Asif Ali Zardari—opposition leader…
NEPAL
APRIL 18, 2005 Posted: April 19, 2005 Surya Thapa, Budhabar HARASSED Government officials summoned Budhabar weekly editor Surya Thapa to question him about a cartoon and article published in his magazine. Officials at the District Administration Office in Kathmandu asked Thapa to clarify the intent of a cartoon published on March 30, which compared then-recent…
French journalist detained on visa charges
New York, April 18, 2005—A French freelance journalist was being held for questioning today in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, after border police arrested him for alleged visa violations last week in the southwestern Satkhira District. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating the circumstances behind the arrest. Police detained Arnaud Mandagaran, 55, and his Indian…
PAKISTAN
APRIL 14, 2005 Posted: April 27, 2005 Kamran Mumtaz, Daily Mashriq ATTACKED, THREATENED Daily MashriqTHREATENED A group of five armed men stormed into the office of the Daily Mashriq in the southwestern city of Quetta around 2:30 p.m. and assaulted Mumtaz, the editor, because of the newspaper’s allegedly biased reporting about a local political party.
PHILIPPINES
APRIL 12, 2005 Posted: April 13, 2005 Alberto Martinez, Radyo Natin ATTACKED, UNCONFIRMED Police began searching for two suspects responsible for the attempted murder of radio broadcaster Alberto Martinez, who was shot in the back while on his way home on the southern island of Mindanao.
King urged to release journalists, lift crackdown
Kathmandu, Nepal, April 12, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the government of Nepal to end the harassment and imprisonment of journalists and to repeal restrictions imposed on private media in the wake of King Gyanendra’s February 1 emergency proclamation. During a press conference in Kathmandu at the end of a weeklong fact-finding…