Mexican army detains four reporters covering a drug raid
New York, August 9, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed deep skepticism about drug and weapons charges leveled against four reporters in northern Mexico covering a drug raid. The reporters were detained Tuesday by the Mexican army while they were covering a routine drug raid in the northern state of Coahuila. They have been…
Senegalese newsroom records threat by minister
New York, August 9, 2007—A Senegalese government official accused of lying about his educational degree threatened reporters with violence this week, according to news reports and local journalists. Transport Minister Farba Senghor threatened over a newsroom speakerphone on Tuesday to “beat up” private daily Walf Grand-Place’s reporter Pape Sambaré Ndour, after calling the journalist a…
In Beijing, CPJ meets with International Olympic Committee
Beijing, August 9, 2007—A representative of the International Olympic Committee told the Committee to Protect Journalists that it would continue to address CPJ’s concerns about reporters’ freedoms during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. CPJ is concerned that some eased restrictions on foreign reporters, which went into effect in January, had not been extended to Chinese…
AP journalist abducted in Iraq’s Diyala province
New York, August 8, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the abduction last month of an Associated Press journalist by masked gunmen in Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala. On July 28, gunmen kidnapped Talal Mohammed, 40, a reporter and photographer for The Associated Press, and an unnamed friend near Diyala province’s capital of Baqubah, the AP reported.…
CPJ concerned by Zimbabwe’s sweeping surveillance law
New York, August 8, 2007—A sweeping surveillance law ratified Friday in Zimbabwe will target “imperialist-sponsored journalists with hidden agendas” the country’s information minister told CPJ. Sikhanyiso Ndlovu described the law as intending “to protect the president, a minister, or any citizen from harm.” The Interception of Communications Act will allow authorities to intercept all phone, Internet,…
Journalists in Manipur threatened on all sides
New York, August 8, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by deteriorating conditions for the media in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, where more than a dozen insurgent groups are involved in separatist activity or factional fighting. In addition to increased pressure from competing militant groups, journalists are now faced with a new…
In Iraq, charges dropped against detained media workers
New York, August 7, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Monday’s decision by a criminal court in Baghdad to dismiss the charge of incitement to terror against 11 current and former employees of the independent Iraqi production company Wasan Media. A source at Wasan Media familiar with the case told CPJ that the judge threw…
In DRC, journalist jailed for not airing politician’s interview
New York, August 7, 2007—Intelligence agents in central DRC have jailed a reporter for failing to air an interview with a local politician, according to news reports and local journalists. Manda Mutombo of Radiotélévision Nationale Congolaise was arrested Friday by Congo’s National Intelligence Agency in the diamond-rich city of Kananga, 674 miles (1,085 km) southeast…
Journalist shot and wounded after corruption reports
August 6, 2007—Mexican journalist Alberto Fernández Portilla was shot and wounded early Sunday morning as he arrived at his home in Salina Cruz, a Pacific port city in the southern state of Oaxaca. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mexican authorities to investigate the attack. Fernández told CPJ that the shooting occurred around 1:50…
Suspect confesses to Oakland editor’s murder
New York, August 6, 2007—CPJ welcomes the swift apprehension of the man who killed Oakland editor Chauncey Bailey. Following a police raid on Friday, a 19-year-old handyman at a local bakery confessed to the murder. Bailey was gunned down in broad daylight as he walked to work on the morning of August 2.