Government cracks down on coverage of America’s new conflict
New York, October 2, 2001—The day after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., the Chinese government notified all media, including Internet portals, that they should refrain from publishing anti-American reports, according to international news reports. A few days later, on September 16, the Central Propaganda Department issued another directive ordering all domestic…
CPJ Demands Release of British Journalist and Colleagues Held in Afghanistan
New York, October 1, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban militia’s recent arrest of Yvonne Ridley, a reporter for London’s Sunday Express newspaper, and two male guides. Soldiers arrested the group on September 28 near the eastern city of Jalalabad and detained Ridley on suspicion of spying, according to news reports.
JAPANESE JOURNALIST MISSING IN CAUCASUS
New York, September 26, 2001— Japanese free-lance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka has now been missing since late July, when he reportedly left Georgia for Chechnya to interview Chechen rebels. Tsuneoka, 32, last communicated with his family via e-mail at the end of July after arriving in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, the Japan Economic Newswire reported. He wrote…
Government plans harsh new press law
Your Majesty: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is alarmed by news that your government is poised to enact sweeping amendments to existing press laws, an action that will severely curtail freedom of information in Brunei by imposing strict licensing requirements on newspapers and threatening journalists with jail terms for publishing “false news” and other offenses.
Two Chinese citizens arrested for online speech
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the prosecution and imprisonment of Zhu Ruixiang and Lu Xinhua, who were both arrested and charged with subversion after writing or distributing articles via the Internet. Though the two cases are separate, they both illustrate your government’s ongoing efforts to restrict online freedom of expression by jailing journalists and political dissidents.
CPJ concerned about South Korean government investigations of local media companies
New York, September 17, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is monitoring events in South Korea with some concern, as the government’s crackdown on alleged financial wrongdoing by the country’s major media companies is likely to have profound implications for local journalism. Despite President Kim Dae-jung’s international reputation as a champion of democracy, capped in…
CPJ Condemns Taliban Restrictions on Foreign Journalists
New York, September 10, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the recent official harassment of journalists covering the trial of eight foreign aid workers whom the ruling Taliban militia accuses of preaching Christianity. “Reporters serve a crucial role as witnesses,” said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. “If this trial is to have any international…
Newsweek article criticizing controversial blasphemy laws is censored
New York, September 4, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the decision of Pakistani censors to order the removal of an article from the September 3 edition of Newsweek as a condition of the magazine’s distribution in the country. The censored article, titled “Talking is Dangerous,” highlights the prosecution of Shaikh Mohammed Younus, a…
CPJ CONDEMNS SENTENCING OF JOURNALIST TO LABOR CAMP
New York, August 31, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the sentencing of free-lance writer Liu Haofeng to three years at a labor camp for “endangering national security.” Documents recently provided to CPJ indicate that Liu was sentenced on May 16 to “reeducation through labor,” a form of administrative detention that allows officials to…