Indonesia’s Press Flourishes Despite Uncertainty
In the run-up to August’s United Nations-sponsored vote on East Timor’s future status, political instability in the territory has escalated dramatically, prompting fears of a full-scale civil war. This grim backdrop is darkened further by the scarcity of independent news and information reaching East Timor’s citizens as they choose whether to accept Indonesia’s offer of…
Contacts
For more information about this report, you may contact: A.Lin Neumann, Asia program consultant, in Bangkok (phone: 66-2-252-3429; e-mail: [email protected]) Kavita Menon, Asia program coordinator, in New York (phone: 212-465-1004 x140; e-mail: [email protected]) Judith Leynse, media relations director, in New York (phone: 212-465-9344 x105; e-mail: [email protected]).
Introduction
Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif has once again ratcheted up the pressure on Pakistan’s independent media, detaining three journalists in less than a week. The May 8 arrest of Najam Sethi, the founder and editor of the English-language weekly Friday Times, has attracted international attention.
Introduction
Najam Sethi, founding editor of The Friday Times, was prevented from flying to London on June 23 to accept Amnesty International’s award for “Journalists Under Threat.” Though the government has dropped all sedition-related charges against him, Sethi’s name still appears on the government’s Exit Control List, his passport has been seized by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau,…
Contacts
For more information about this report, you may contact: Kavita Menon, Asia program coordinator, in New York (phone: 212-465-1004 x140; e-mail: [email protected])
CPJ Disturbed by the Persecution of Najam Sethi in Pakistan
June 23,1999 His Excellency Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister Prime Minister’s Secretariat Islamabad, Pakistan Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply disturbed by evidence that your government is continuing to persecute Najam Sethi, chief editor of the English-language weekly newspaper The Friday Times. In the last few weeks, various government agencies have blocked…
India: Government bans Pakistan Television from local cable
June 4,1999 His Excellency Atal Behari Vajpayee Prime Minister of India Office of the Prime Minister South Block New Delhi 110 011, India Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is concerned over your administration’s recent decision to ban the transmission of Pakistan Television (PTV) within India’s borders. On June 2, after the launch…
Indonesia’s Press Strives to Maintain Its Hard-Won FreedomUpcoming Election Tests Government’s Commitment to Media Rights
New York, N.Y., June 2, 1999–The flowering of press freedom in Indonesia in the year since President Suharto was forced from office is one of the few tangible reforms of interim President B. J. Habibie, but also one of the most fragile, says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a special report released today…