Middle East & North Africa
2005
French reporter abducted in Iraq pleads for help in video
New York, March 1, 2005—A French reporter who disappeared in Baghdad nearly two months ago appeared pleading for help in a videotape released today by her captors. In the videotape, Florence Aubenas, a correspondent for the French daily Libération, is shown looking pale and tired and states that she is in bad health, The Associated…
Kidnapped journalist killed in IraqJournalist injured in separate incident
New York, February 28, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by the murder of Raeda Wazzan, a news anchor with the Iraqi state TV channel Al-Iraqiya who was kidnapped on February 20. Wazzan’s body was found on Friday, February 25, on a roadside in Mosul, where the journalist had lived and worked, according to…
BAHRAIN
FEBRUARY 27, 2005 Posted: March 14, 2005 Ali Abdel Imam, www.bahrainonline.com IMPRISONED Abdel Imam, an Internet writer, also known as a Web logger, or blogger, was summoned by prosecutors in the capital, Manama, and detained, according to sources in Bahrain. Abdel Imam is the founder and editor of www.bahrainonline.com, which features a blog with commentary…
IRAQ
FEBRUARY 25, 2005 Posted: March 1, 2005 Raeda Wazzan, Al-Iraqiya KILLED—CONFIRMED Wazzan, a news anchor with the Iraqi state TV channel Al-Iraqiya who was kidnapped on February 20, was found dead five days later on a roadside in Mosul, where the journalist had lived and worked, according to press reports citing her husband. She had…
CNN’s Jordan is gone, but questions remain over U.S. security record in Iraq
Committee to Protect Journalists This article appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on February 22, 2005 Posted: February 17, 2005 The media was abuzz over comments attributed to CNN news executive Eason Jordan that some of the several dozen journalists killed in Iraq were deliberately targeted by U.S. forces. Pundits, bloggers, columnists, and members of Congress…
Internet writers imprisoned, harassment continues
New York, February 24, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the Iranian government’s months-long crackdown on Internet writers who disseminate information and opinion on Web logs, also known as blogs. One writer who may have been detained for his postings has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, and at least one other…
Iraqi journalist reportedly abducted
New York, February 22, 2005—Two Indonesian journalists and their driver, who were abducted by gunmen last week west of Baghdad, were released yesterday, according to international press reports. According to The Associated Press (AP), reporter Meutya Viada Hafid and cameraman Budiyanto, who work for Indonesia’s 24-hour news channel Metro TV, and their driver, Ibrahim Abdel…
Gunmen seize Indonesian TV journalists
New York, February 18, 2005—Two Indonesian television journalists and their driver were seized by Iraqi gunmen in the city of Ramadi this week, an Indonesian government spokesman told reporters today. Reporter Meutya Hafid and a cameraman identified as Budiyanto, who work for Indonesia’s 24-hour news channel Metro TV, went missing on Tuesday while driving from…
Captors release video of kidnapped Italian journalist
New York, February 16, 2005—The kidnappers holding Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena have released a video showing her pleading for her life and calling on U.S. and coalition troops to leave Iraq, The Associated Press (AP) has reported. On February 4, gunmen seized Sgrena, a reporter for the Rome-based Italian daily Il Manifesto, near Baghdad University,…
IRAQ
FEBRUARY 15, 2005 Posted: March 14, 2005 Meutya Hafid, Metro TV Budiyanto, Metro TV ABDUCTED Gunmen seized reporter Hafid, cameraman Budiyanto and their driver, Ibrahim Abdel Khader, near the city of Ramadi. They were en route from Amman, Jordan, to cover the observance of Ashura, one of the most important religious events for Shiites, according…