CPJ demands release of French journalist and Pakistani guides
New York, October 16, 2001—CPJ is deeply concerned by the prolonged detention of French journalist Michel Peyrard and his guides, Pakistani nationals Mukkaram Khan and Mohammad Irfan. Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime has accused all three of spying, a charge that carries the death penalty. Peyrard is a reporter for the weekly magazine Paris Match. Khan,…
Authorities release French reporter Aziz Zemouri
New York, October 16, 2001—CPJ welcomes the release of Aziz Zemouri, French reporter for the weekly Figaro Magazine, whom Taliban officials detained and subsequently handed over to Pakistani authorities after he crossed into Afghanistan last week. Zemouri was turned over to Pakistan’s border security forces at Ghulam Khan by Taliban authorities in North Waziristan Agency…
Journalist flees to Vienna after receiving threats
New York, October 15, 2001—Anna Politkovskaya, a correspondent with Moscow-based newspaper Novaya Gazeta known for her investigative reports on human rights abuses committed by the Russian military in Chechnya, fled to Vienna, Austria, last week. Novaya Gazeta’s deputy editor-in-chief, Sergey Sokolov, told CPJ in a telephone interview today that the threats stemmed from a September…
CPJ concerned about threatening incidents in the U.S.
New York, October 16, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists is monitoring with concern a pattern of threatening incidents involving journalists working in the United States. In recent weeks, several employees of U.S. media companies have been exposed to anthrax. Robert Stevens, a photo editor at The Sun in Boca Raton, Florida, died after inhaling anthrax.…
CPJ urges authorities to release French journalist Aziz Zemouri
New York, October 12, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the detention of Aziz Zemouri, a reporter for the French weekly Figaro Magazine. On October 11, Pakistan’s border security forces arrested Zemouri at Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan Agency, according to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper. A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson told CPJ…
Provincial journalist murdered
New York, July 10, 2001 — In a letter sent to today to Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos, CPJ expressed deep concern about the murder of Alegria Gustavo, a journalist for the local branch of Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA) in the central province of Huambo. According to sources in Luanda, Gustavo was shot…
CPJ appeals for release of journalist
New York, April 10, 2001 — As Iranian newspaper editor Mashallah Shamsolvaezin marked the end of his first year in prison, CPJ today presented more than 350 petitions to the government of Iran calling for his immediate release and the release of at least six other Iranian journalists currently jailed for their work. The petitions…
JOURNALIST IN “FIGHTING SPIRITS” ON EVE OF TRIAL
New York, July 10, 2001—Grigory Pasko, the Russian military journalist who faces trial on charges of espionage and revealing state secrets, says he’s ready for the next stage in his battle with the authorities. “It’s time this case was over. It’s been four years—how much longer can this continue?”
TALIBAN CHARGE FRENCH JOURNALIST AND TWO PAKISTANI GUIDES WITH ESPIONAGE
October 10, 2001, New York—CPJ is deeply concerned by the ruling Taliban’s announcement that journalist Michel Peyrard and his guides, Mukkaram Khan and Mohammad Irfan, will be tried on charges of espionage. Peyrard, a French national, is a reporter for the weekly magazine Paris Match. Khan, a Pakistani, is the regional correspondent in Mohmand Agency…
American journalists threatened by protesters
New York, October 10, 2001—Susan Taylor Martin, a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times, and Jamie Francis, a photographer for the same paper, were threatened and harassed by protesters angered by the recent U.S.-led bombing campaign in neighboring Afghanistan. The two were reporting in Sakot, a town in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, when they…