New York, September 11, 2000 — Ruslan Musayev, a local reporter, cameraman, and photographer for The Associated Press (AP), was captured by Russian military forces in Chechnya on September 5, beaten, and held in detention overnight. He was released the following morning after paying US$600 to his guards, AP reported. This is the second recent…
New York, September 8, 2000–The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote to Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga today, welcoming her decision to ease censorship restrictions on the media. However, CPJ noted that censorship of military-related news remains in place, in violation of Sri Lanka’s international obligations to uphold press freedom. “We do not think that…
New York, September 7, 2000 — An irate crowd of some three dozen people calling themselves agents of Mauritian prime minister Navin Ramgoolam’s Labor Party staged a loud demonstration in front of the offices of Le Mauricien and L’express, the island’s leading independent dailies. Wielding sticks and shouting slogans, the protesters railed against what they…
Click here to read more about press freedom conditions in JORDAN New York, September 6, 2000–The state-sanctioned Jordan Press Association (JPA) expelled its secretary general, a weekly newspaper editor, from the organization yesterday because of his work with a local press freedom group, according to CPJ sources.
Click here to read more about press freedom conditions in AZERBAIJAN MAP of Azerbaijan New York, September 5, 2000 — In a widening crackdown on local media, Azeri authorities called in a second editor for questioning in connection with recent attempted hijacking in the Azeri enclave of Nakhchivan.
New York, September 5, 2000 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the sentencing today of Lasantha Wickrematunga, editor of the English-language weekly newspaper The Sunday Leader, on charges of criminally defaming President Chandrika Kumaratunga. A judge from Colombo’s High Court sentenced Wickrematunga to two years in jail, but suspended the sentence for five…
New York, August 30, 2000 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) deplores the recent detention and imminent expulsion of three Swedish journalists in Havana, reportedly because of their contacts with members of Cuba’s beleaguered independent press. At around seven a.m. on August 29, Interior Ministry agents arrested Birger Thuresson, Peter Götell, and Helena Söderqvist…