Imprisoned journalist requires medical attention
New York, September 21, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the deteriorating health of imprisoned writer Pham Hong Son, who was arrested in 2002 after using the Internet to distribute essays advocating democracy and human rights. Son is in very poor health and has been kept in solitary confinement for the last…
CPJ condemns guilty verdict in libel case
New York, Sept. 16, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores today’s guilty verdict and sentencing of Indonesia’s Tempo magazine Chief Editor Bambang Harymurti. The journalist received a one-year prison sentence for publishing an allegedly libelous article in the weekly last year. “Today’s ruling is a disturbing setback for Indonesia’s hard-won press freedoms,” said CPJ Executive…
At least eight journalists attacked in Dhaka campus unrest
New York, September 14, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the violent attacks by pro-government activists on at least eight journalists covering demonstrations on the Dhaka University campus in the capital, Dhaka, last Saturday, September 11. Members of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s youth wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), went on a rampage around…
More than two years after journalist’s murder, suspect surrenders
New York, September 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the surrender and detention of former police officer Guillermo Wapile, the lead suspect in the 2002 slaying of journalist Edgar Damalerio. In a press conference today, Philippine National Police Chief Edgar Agilpay announced that Wapile surrendered to police in Camp Crame on the southern island…
Jakarta court delays Tempo verdict as international observers crowd courtroom
Jakarta, Sept. 7, 2004—Under intense scrutiny from the international media and press advocates from around the world, a court yesterday delayed its verdict in a criminal defamation case widely seen as a grave threat to press freedom in Indonesia. No official reason was given for delaying a verdict in the trial of Tempo editor Bambang…
Press offices attacked in riots sparked by killings in Iraq
New York, September 1, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores today’s attacks on newspaper and television offices in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, during violent protests that followed the slayings of 12 Nepalese contract workers by militants in Iraq. At mid-day, crowds set fire to vans and motorcycles and wrecked equipment inside the premises of English-language Kantipur…
Writers sued for libel
New York, August 31, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the trial of two Chinese authors who wrote a banned book investigating local corruption and mistreatment of peasants in Anhui Province. The two went on trial for libel in Fuyang Intermediate People’s Court last week, and the proceedings ended on August 28. A verdict is…
Editor released from prison
New York, August 30, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Cheng Yizhong, editor-in-chief of Nanfang Dushi Bao (Southern Metropolis News), who was freed on August 27 after more than five months in detention. His colleagues, Nanfang Dushi Bao Deputy Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Yu Huafeng and former editor Li Minying, remain imprisoned.…
Gunman arrested in case of murdered journalist
New York, August 27, 2004—Police arrested a suspected gunman yesterday in the August 4 killing of Batangas City journalist Arnel Manalo, according to local news reports. Police believe that the suspect, Michael Garcia, was hired by local political leader Tony Mendoza, who has not yet been charged with murder. Gunmen ambushed and killed Manalo, 42,…