Alerts
2006
TV crews hit by rubber bullets
New York, July 20, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned that members of two Arab television crews were wounded by rubber bullets during an Israeli army operation in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday. Wael Tanous, a satellite technician with the Qatar-based channel Al-Jazeera, was hit in the left leg while…
CPJ condemns dropped charges in Zongo case
New York, July 20, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by the decision of a judge in Burkina Faso to drop charges against the only suspect in the 1998 murder of a journalist probing criminal allegations against the president’s family. Prosecutors said yesterday an examining magistrate had granted their request to drop the case…
Two Nigerian journalists released after four days in detention
New York, July 20, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is relieved that the Gambian National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has freed two Nigerian journalists, but it’s alarmed that the pair were held for four days without charge or due process. CPJ remains deeply concerned over the state of press freedom in the Gambia. Sam Obi, a…
Indonesia detains online news editor over prophet drawings
New York, July 20, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of Teguh Santosa, chief editor of Rakyat Merdeka Online, for posting cartoons that depicted the Prophet Mohammad. Indonesian police on July 19 detained Santosa after questioning him for three hours about his role in the posting of three controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet…
Malaysia: Government cracks down on popular radio program
New York, July 19, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Malaysian government’s interference with Ai FM’s radio program “The Mic is On, With Love, Without Obstacles” for freely airing listeners’ views about a controversial government order that affected Chinese-language schools. The Ministry of Information on June 24 ordered the Chinese-language program to restructure its…
CPJ concerned about jailed journalist’s deteriorating health
New York, July 19, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the worsening heath of journalist Sakit Zakhidov, who is being held on drug possession charges that local press freedom activists and independent journalists say are fabricated. Sakit Zakhidov, a prominent reporter and satirist for the Baku-based daily opposition newspaper Azadliq has been in…
Death threats against journalist after drug trafficking report
New York, July 18, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges authorities in Paraguay to investigate death threats against a journalist covering drug trafficking in an area where another journalist disappeared more than five months ago. Luis Alcides Ruiz Díaz of the weekly Hechos received an anonymous text message Saturday warning him about his reporting, the…
Philippines: Radio broadcaster killed in Mindanao
New York, July 18, 2006—Two unidentified gunmen killed broadcaster Armando Pace as he returned home today after hosting his radio program in the city of Digos on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating to determine whether he was killed in relation to his work. Pace, 51, was shot…
Al-Jazeera reporters detained in northern Israel
New York, July 17, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the detention of Al-Jazeera television crews covering Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel amid allegations that they were “assisting the enemy.” Walid al-Omary, Jerusalem-based bureau chief for the Arab satellite TV station, told CPJ that he had been detained by Israeli police three…
CPJ confirms treason charge filed against another journalist
New York, July 17, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists has confirmed that Solomon Aregawi, owner of the defunct Amharic-language newspaper Hadar, has been charged with antistate crimes in connection with his journalistic work. This raises the number of journalists jailed for their work in Ethiopia to 18 from 17, according to CPJ research. Three are…