CPJ seeks probe into report that soccer star assaulted journalist
New York, June 2, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for a thorough and transparent investigation into a scuffle Friday between members of Cameroon’s soccer team and journalists following a pre-game press conference. Cameroon’s star striker Samuel Eto’o allegedly assaulted a reporter during the incident, according to local journalists and news reports. Philippe Boney,…
Afghan journalist’s appeal delayed over torture investigation
New York, June 2, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned today about a further delay in the appeal of Afghan journalist Parwez Kambakhsh. Kambakhsh is appealing a death sentence for blasphemy in a Kabul court. The appeal was delayed on Sunday pending medical corroboration of Kambakhsh’s allegation that he was tortured in prison, according…
CPJ mourns death of photographer in Kenya
New York, May 29, 2008—CPJ is deeply troubled by the death of award-winning photojournalist Trent Keegan, whose body was found on Wednesday in a ditch in Nairobi, Kenya. Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told Agence France-Presse that Keegan was found with head injuries in a drainage trench along a central highway. Police have opened an inquest,…
TV reporter slain in northern Sri Lanka
New York, May 29, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the brutal murder of a television journalist in the conflict-ridden Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Paranirupasingham Devakumar, Jaffna correspondent for the Maharaja Television news channel News 1st, was stabbed to death by a group of unidentified people on Wednesday evening, according to…
CPJ condemns ban of Guinean paper over editorial
New York, May 28, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a two-month ban summarily handed to a Guinean independent newspaper last week over an editorial that raised critical questions about the health of President Lansana Conté’s second wife. The state-run National Communications Council decided on the ban, which is the third suspension of a newspaper…
Newspaper’s distributors beaten in Zimbabwe, papers burned
New York, May 27, 2008–CPJ condemns the beating of distributors for private weekly The Zimbabwean on Sunday last week. Unknown assailants hijacked and burned down the distributors’ truck, which was carrying 60,000 copies of the paper. “Attacking these media workers and burning newspapers is nothing but brutal censorship of one of the country’s last remaining…
Chilean police officer strikes photographer
New York, May 23, 2008—Chilean photographer Víctor Salas suffered a serious eye injury on Wednesday when he was struck by a police officer as he was covering a protest outside parliament in the southwestern city of Valparaíso. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the assault and called on Chilean authorities to hold the officer accountable.
Sri Lankan columnist badly beaten during abduction
New York, May 23, 2008—Prominent Sri Lankan columnist Keith Noyahr, who went missing late Thursday, returned home this morning after being severely beaten, according to the editor of his newspaper and news reports. Lalith Alahakoon, chief editor of English-language weekly The Nation, told CPJ by telephone this morning that Noyahr, who is also the paper’s…
Inter-American court urges Argentina to reform defamation laws
New York, May 22, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists hails a new ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that urges Argentina to void a criminal defamation sentence against a local journalist and reform its defamations laws. The decision by the international court, based in San José, Costa Rica’s capital, was made public on…
Two journalists killed in separate incidents
New York, May 22, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the deaths of two Iraqi journalists who were killed in separate incidents this week. Wisam Ali Ouda, a cameraman for the Afaq television station, was shot as he walked home in the Obaidi district of Baghdad on Wednesday morning, Reuters reported. The…