In Azerbaijan, persecution of editor continues; CPJ seeks a halt
New York, September 6, 2007—Azerbaijani authorities must stop the persecution of Eynulla Fatullayev, an imprisoned editor who has been hit with a series of politically inspired criminal charges since he began investigating alleged government wrongdoing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Colombian journalist stabbed to death in Cartago
New York, September 5, 2007–Colombian journalist Javier Darío Arroyave was stabbed to death this morning in Cartago, a city in the western Valle del Cauca Province. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating possible links between Arroyave’s murder and his journalism. Arroyave, news director for the Cartago-based radio station Ondas del Valle and host of…
Argentine radio journalist convicted on criminal slander charge
New York, September 4, 2007—The criminal slander conviction of an Argentine radio journalist is alarming and should be overturned on appeal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Monday’s ruling, by a judge in northwestern Salta province, also bars commentator Sergio Poma from working for one year. Judge Héctor Martínez handed Poma, owner of local…
In Somalia, death threats force prominent press freedom activist into hiding
New York, September 4, 2007—A prominent press freedom activist and freelance journalist was forced into hiding on Monday after gunmen went looking for him at his office in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists. Ali Moallim Isak, Organizing Secretary of the union and a correspondent of Baidoa-based private Radio…
Journalist stabbed by unknown assailant
NEW YORK, September 4, 2007 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned about the recent violent attack against journalist Joel Abilay, a radio reporter for Radio GMA (RGMA) in Cadiz City of the province of Negros Occidental. According to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and local media reports, Abilay was stabbed…
In China, a jailed Internet writer is mistreated, denied access to family
New York, August 31, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that imprisoned writer and activist Guo Qizhen has been mistreated in custody, may not be receiving adequate medical attention, and has been denied access to his family. In an interview with CPJ, Guo’s wife, Zhao Changqing, said that she has been…
Sri Lankan journalist, still in jeopardy, says government never offered protection
New York, August 31, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists remains concerned about the safety of Sri Lankan journalist Iqbal Athas, who has come under threat after writing an August 12 article about alleged government misconduct in the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine. Athas said that he has been harassed and followed by unknown…
Russian police seize computers from Novaya Gazeta bureau
New York, August 31, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that police in the Volga River city of Nizhny Novgorod raided the local bureau of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta on Thursday, seizing all of the office’s computers. “This raid on Novaya Gazeta is yet another installment in the unending saga of…
In Niger, government bans live broadcasts on Tuareg rebellion
New York, August 30, 2007—Niger’s state-run High Council on Communications has banned the broadcast of live debates on an armed rebellion of nomadic Tuaregs in the north of the uranium-rich West African nation, according to local journalists. Attacks by Tuareg fighters have killed at least 45 soldiers since February, according to Reuters. The ruling on…
In a benchmark verdict, Russian court convicts 5 in reporter’s murder
New York, August 30, 2007—A court in Russia’s west-central republic of Tatarstan has convicted five members of a criminal gang in the 2000 murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Igor Domnikov, the newspaper reported today. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed this important development, but urged authorities to vigorously prosecute the masterminds of the crime.