Washington, August 2, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe to take a lead in making press freedom a priority in American foreign policy. At a hearing in Washington, D.C., called “Freedom of the Media in the OSCE Region,” CPJ voiced concern at the…
New York, August 1, 2007— The managing editor of a Tunisian online magazine is due to appear in court in Tunis on August 2 on charges of defamation that could lead to his imprisonment for up to three-and-a-half years, according to one of his lawyers. The charges against Tunisian rights activist Omar Mestiri stem from…
New York, August 1, 2007— The director of a private newspaper in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, was handed a suspended prison term and a fine today, but could not appear in court after he was hospitalized as the result of poor detention conditions, local journalists told CPJ. “We condemn this verdict and call…
New York, August 1, 2007– The director of a private newspaper in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, was handed a suspended prison term and a fine today, but could not appear in court after he was hospitalized as the result of poor detention conditions, local journalists told CPJ. “We condemn this verdict and call…
New York, July 31, 2007—The Venezuelan government has asked cable and satellite providers to remove RCTV’s new signal from their programming by tomorrow if the station does not register as a national broadcaster. RCTV has been operating as a paid subscription channel since July 16 after being taken off the public airwaves by the government…
New York, July 31, 2007–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the attack by a group of armed men on a fledgling independent Yemeni newspaper in the capital, Sana’a, on Monday. In a possibly related situation, the Yemeni Ministry of Defense has brought a case against the paper accusing it of harming national security, a charge…
New York, July 31, 2007—A few days after being assaulted and threatened by a parliamentarian-elect, a reporter in southern Mali has filed a complaint in a local court. Local politician Mamadou Sinayoko attacked reporter Adama Coulibaly, a presenter at community Radio Kafo-Kan in the southern city of Bougouni, 462 miles (743 km) south of the…
New York, July 30, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by reports that a Gambian reporter, arrested a year ago and since held incommunicado without charge or trial by the government, was briefly admitted last week to Gambia’s main hospital in the capital, Banjul. “Chief” Ebrima B. Manneh, the State House correspondent for…
New York, July 27, 2007—Veteran editor Abel Mutsakani, one of dozens of Zimbabwean journalists forced into exile in neighboring South Africa, was shot in the chest on Monday after three unidentified men attacked him near his home in Johannesburg, according to news reports. Mutsakani, editor of the South Africa-based Zimbabwean news Web site ZimOnline, still had…
New York, July 26, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon to veto amendments to the country’s criminal code that would broaden its defamation laws to include Internet publications. Amendments to several articles of the penal code were adopted by the upper house of Tajikistan’s parliament on July 19, according to…