In Zimbabwe, purported list names 15 journalists for surveillance
New York, September 28, 2007—Several journalists have raised concerns about a purported government document that names 15 independent journalists to be “placed under strict surveillance and taken in.” The authenticity of the list—published Wednesday on the South Africa-based news Web site ZimOnline—was denied by the government, although at least three of the named journalists have…
Evidence emerges of intentional shooting of Japanese cameraman in Burma
New York, September 28, 2007 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by the apparently deliberate fatal shooting of Japanese cameraman Kenji Nagai by a Burmese soldier on Thursday. Video footage shown on Japan’s Fuji News Network reveals that Nagai, who was filming near a group of demonstrators in Yangon, was pushed to the…
Préval pledges justice in murders of Haitian journalists
Préval pledges justice in murders of Haitian journalists New York, September 27, 2007—Haitian President René Préval has pledged support for an independent committee evaluating stalled investigations into a series of unsolved journalist murders this decade and said that all political obstacles to justice have now been removed.
Independent editor to be tried in Egyptian security court
New York, September 27, 2007―The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed that a leading Egyptian editor charged with publishing articles about President Hosni Mubarak’s health will be tried by an emergency state security court. Meanwhile, a Cairo court handed jail terms to the chairman of an independent weekly and four of its journalists. Ibrahim Eissa,…
Japanese photographer killed as Burmese troops crack down on protests
New York, September 27, 2007— A Japanese photographer, Kenji Nagai, 50, who was working for Tokyo-based video and photo agency APF News, was one of at least nine people killed today by Burmese troops cracking down on anti-government demonstrations in Rangoon, according to official Japanese state-run television. Another 11 demonstrators were injured, as were 31…
Amid a crackdown, three Egyptian editors sentenced to jail
New York, September 26, 2007―The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns this week’s convictions of three editors from an opposition daily, which come amid a flurry of criminal lawsuits filed against the press by lawyers affiliated with the ruling National Democratic Party. A criminal misdemeanor court on Monday convicted Al-Wafd Editor-in-Chief Anwar al-Hawari, Deputy Editor-in-Chief…
Appeals for release of ailing Chinese writer ignored
New York, September 25, 2007 —The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that imprisoned writer Zhang Jianhong has been transferred to Qiaosi prison in the eastern province of Zhejiang, despite numerous appeals for his release on medical parole. Zhang has been diagnosed with a rare nerve disorder that could lead to permanent paralysis…
Iraqi producer murdered in Baghdad
New York, September 24, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of an Al-Baghdadia satellite channel producer in Baghdad on Sunday. Several gunmen in a car shot Jawad al-Daami, 40, a line producer for the independent Cairo-based Al-Baghdadia, in the head in Baghdad’s southwestern neighborhood of Al-Qadissiya at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, a…
In Niger, veteran journalist imprisoned
New York, September 24, 2007—A veteran radio journalist for French broadcaster Radio France Internationale, distinguished for his exclusive coverage of a seventh-month-old armed rebellion in northern Niger, was sent to prison today after four days in police custody on accusations of aiding the rebels, according to local journalists.
CPJ dismayed by contempt of court ruling in India
New York, September 24, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is dismayed by the New Delhi High Court’s decision last week to sentence four journalists to four months in prison apiece on contempt of court charges stemming from a series of articles and a political cartoon accusing a former chief justice of official misconduct. The journalists…