In Burma, concerns mount over missing journalists
New York, October 4, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists is increasingly concerned about the welfare of at least three Burmese reporters who went missing during the government’s crackdown on street protesters last week. A fourth reporter, Tokyo Shimbun’s Min Zin, was released from government custody on Wednesday. CPJ calls on the Burmese authorities to…
In Colombia, Uribe’s accusations raise alarm
New York, October 3, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about comments made Tuesday by President Álvaro Uribe Vélez that could endanger Colombian journalist Gonzalo Guillén. Uribe called national Caracol Radio and RCN Radio to deny recent allegations that he had close to ties to the deceased drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The accusations were…
Tunisian court evicts weekly from office
New York, October 2, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply disturbed by a Tunisian court decision to evict the weekly Al-Mawkif from premises it has been using in downtown Tunis since 1994. On Monday, a misdemeanor court in Tunis ordered the eviction of Al-Mawkif, published since 1984 by the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP),…
Chinese writer held on vague subversion charge
New York, October 2, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the recent arrest of freelance writer Lü Gengsong on subversion charges and calls for his immediate release. Lü’s wife, Wang Xue’e, received notice on Sunday of her husband’s arrest on charges of “inciting subversion of state power,” according to Chinese human rights groups and news…
One journalist detained, three missing in government crackdown
New York, October 1, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about reports that one journalist has been detained and another three have gone missing in the wake of the ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests in Burma. On Friday, Min Zaw, a reporter with the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, was arrested at his home in…
Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act passes Senate, with CPJ support
New York, September 28, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the U.S. Senate’s passage on Thursday of the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act. Sponsored and supported by a broad spectrum of human rights and freedom of expression groups and a bi-partisan coalition of 17 U.S. senators, the act was agreed to by unanimous consent as an…
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,…