Alerts
2006
CPJ Condemns Expulsion of RFI Correspondent
New York, July 5, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the expulsion of Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent Ghislaine Dupont from the Democratic Republic of Congo where a landmark general election is scheduled for July 30. Dupont, who had been in the capital Kinshasa with a valid visa since April trying to obtain…
Journalist imprisoned in defamation case
New York, July 5, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest and imprisonment on June 29 of Moustapha Sow, a Senegalese journalist who was convicted in February of defaming a local businessman. An arrest warrant was issued in February but carried out only last week, local sources told CPJ. “It is disturbing…
Burma: Court upholds prison sentences
UPDATE: July 5, 2006 Original Alert: April 4, 2006 Ko Thar Cho, freelance Ko Kyaw Thwin, Dhamah Yate LEGAL ACTION On June 21, a court in the central town of Yamaethin upheld the three-year prison sentences for journalists Ko Thar Cho and Ko Kyaw Thwin, who were first charged on March 27 for photographing and…
Sri Lanka: Freelance Journalist Shot Dead
New York, July 5, 2006 — The body of freelance reporter Sampath Lakmal, a contributor to the Sinhala-language weekly Sathdina, was found in a southern suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Sunday. He had been shot after leaving his house to meet a contact on Saturday night, according to local media reports and the…
President signs restrictive media bill
New York, July 5, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed by the passage today of legislation that further restricts press freedom in the Central Asian state of Kazakhstan. President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law a bill passed by Parliament in June that CPJ believes gives the state unlimited power to close independent…
Russian Authorities deny British journalist entry visa
New York, July 5, 2006 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that Russian authorities have refused an entry visa to British journalist Thomas de Waal. The Moscow-based Union of Russia’s Journalists (RUJ) had invited de Waal to present his book on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was translated into Russian last year. The…
Voice of America AM broadcasts jammed
New York, June 30, 2006—Zimbabwe is jamming medium wave news broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) in English and local languages in the capital Harare. The U.S.-government funded broadcaster said its Studio 7 service, which is on the air for 90 minutes each weekday, was being blocked. “We have had reports of jamming of our…
Bill seeks to label critical journalists extremists
New York, June 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a bill before the Russian Parliament that broadens the definition of extremism to include media criticism of public officials. The draft legislation allows for imprisonment of up to three years for journalists, and the suspension or closure of their publication, if convicted of…
Israeli authorities restrict Gaza press access
New York, June 27, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about Israeli government restrictions on journalists attempting to report from the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that Israeli passport holders and dual nationals would be prohibited from entering Gaza. “Due to the current security assessments journalists with Israeli citizenship…
Two journalists charged with sedition over presidential jet story
New York, June 27, 2006—Two journalists charged with sedition over a story about President Olusegun Obasanjo’s new jet pled not guilty in court today. Mike Gbenga Aruleba, a presenter at leading private television station African Independent Television (AIT), and Rotimi Durojaiye, a senior correspondent for the Daily Independent newspaper, appeared in court in the capital,…