Japanese photographer deported
New York, June 30, 2003—Japanese photographer Takagi Tadatomo was released and deported from Indonesia’s war-torn Aceh Province on Sunday, June 29, after being held for two days. The 25-year-old photographer left Medan, the capital of neighboring North Sumatra Province, on a morning flight to Singapore. Indonesian military authorities in northern Aceh detained Tadatomo last Thursday,…
LAOTIAN COURT SENTENCES JOURNALISTS AND THEIR TRANSLATOR TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON
New York, June 30, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is outraged that two journalists and their American translator were convicted today by a Laotian court in Phonesavan, a town in the northeastern Xieng Khuang province. Although it is unclear what the charges were, CPJ has confirmed that Belgian journalist Thierry Falise, French cameraman Vincent…
CPJ protests media restrictions
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the continuing efforts by Indonesian authorities to sharply restrict reporting by journalists attempting to cover the military operations in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh. The latest evidence of such efforts is the series of restrictive new rules, announced yesterday, which will prohibit independent reporting from the region.
Journalist brutally attacked
New York, June 27, 2003— The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the recent violent attack on Abul Bashar, the local correspondent for the Bengali-language national daily newspaper Janakantha (The People’s Voice) in Shariatpur district, which is located in southern Bangladesh. According to several local sources and Bashar, himself, members of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal…
Journalists who disappeared
CPJ research indicates that the following journalists have disappeared while doing their work. Although some of them are feared dead, no bodies have been found, and they are therefore not classified as “Killed.” If a journalist disappeared after being held in government custody, CPJ classifies him or her as “Imprisoned” as a way to hold…
Imprisoned journalists released
New York, June 25, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the release of two journalists from prison today in Afghanistan. However, CPJ remains deeply concerned about government threats to prosecute the journalists for blasphemy in connection with articles published that were critical of Islam. Sayeed Mirhassan Mahdawi, the editor of the weekly newspaper Aftab,…
U.S. JOURNALIST DETAINED FOR VIOLATING IMMIGRATION LAWS
Bangkok, June 25, 2003—Indonesian police have formally detained American free-lance journalist William Nessen after two days of questioning in the troubled province of Aceh and charged him with violating two sections of Indonesia’s immigration law. Nessen, who voluntarily turned himself over to military authorities on Tuesday, June 24, after spending several weeks with separatist rebels…
U.S. Journalist turns himself over to military
Bangkok, June 24, 2003—American free-lance journalist William Nessen turned himself over to Indonesian military authorities in the strife torn province of Aceh this morning, ending several days of tense negotiations. For several weeks, Nessen, 46, had been traveling with the separatist Free Aceh Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym as GAM. Indonesian military authorities had…
Magazine banned in ongoing crackdown
New York, June 23, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the Chinese government’s decision to ban the bimonthly business news magazine Caijing. According to Reuters, the June 20 edition of the influential magazine was barred from newsstands last week. Although the magazine reached subscribers during the weekend, authorities ordered additional copies held at the…
CPJ CONDEMNS MEDIA CRACKDOWN
New York, June 20, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the Chinese government’s closure of the weekly newspaper Beijing Xinbao and other restrictions that appear to be part of a wider crackdown against the media in China. Beijing Xinbao, which is run by the national newspaper Workers’ Daily, was closed and its editors were…