In DRC, police disrupt media group meeting, assault journalists
New York, June 1, 2007—A journalist remained hospitalized today after police in the central diamond mining town of Mbuji-Mayi disrupted an official meeting of a prominent Congolese media group on Thursday, assaulting dozens of journalists and seizing personal items, according to the press freedom group Journaliste en Danger (JED) and local journalists. François Luboya, the…
Amid growing political dissent, Pakistan aims to curtail live TV coverage
New York, June 1, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about reports that the Pakistani government will seek to restrict live television broadcasts of anti-government demonstrations. The reports, from several local news outlets and sources, come as news outlets face increasing official pressure for covering the street demonstrations sparked by President Pervez Musharraf’s ouster…
U.N. tribunal offers chance for justice in Lebanese journalist attacks
New York, May 31, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the U.N. Security Council’s establishment of an international criminal tribunal empowered to prosecute individuals responsible for a series of deadly attacks against Lebanese journalists in 2005. The Security Council approved resolution 1757 on Wednesday, establishing an international criminal tribunal to prosecute the masterminds of the…
Radio Farda journalist charged, barred from leaving Iran
New York, May 30, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Iranian authorities to drop criminal charges against an Iranian-American journalist working for U.S.-backed Radio Farda, to return the journalist’s seized passport, and to allow her to travel freely. On May 15, the Special Security Bureau of the Revolutionary Court Public Prosecutor’s office charged…
After several months, Chad lifts a censorship blanket
New York, May 30, 2007–Blanket censorship imposed last November on private newspapers and radio stations was lifted this week after a six-month state of emergency, imposed in response to deadly unrest in eastern Chad, expired on Saturday, according to officials and local journalists. Three of the leading private newspapers in the capital N’Djamena, including weeklies…
Severed head left outside newspaper in southeastern Mexico
New York, May 29, 2007—A local official’s severed head wrapped in newspaper was left Saturday morning outside the offices of a daily in southeastern Tabasco state, according to Mexican press reports. Unidentified individuals parked two Grand Cherokee SUVs in front of the Villahermosa-based Tabasco Hoy, 465 miles (745 kilometers) east of Mexico City. An individual…
Venezuela’s RCTV off the air; CPJ urges government to respect dissent
New York, May 29, 2007—Venezuela’s commitment to democracy has suffered a serious blow as the government forced private television station RCTV off the air for political reasons on Monday after 53 years of continuous broadcasting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. “This arbitrary decision thwarts Venezuelans’ right to seek and receive information and represents…
Radio journalist flees his home after guerrilla threats
New York, May 25, 2007—Colombian radio journalist Rodrigo Callejas has been forced to flee his home in the western Tolima province after receiving death threats from an alleged guerrilla commander. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Colombian authorities today to provide Callejas with the necessary protection to allow him to work without fear of…
Daily in northern Mexico shuts down after attacks
New York, May 25, 2007—The Mexican federal government must provide immediate protection to the Hermosillo-based daily Cambio de Sonora so it can resume publishing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The paper announced Thursday that it would suspend publication after two bomb attacks and repeated threats. Mario Vázquez Raña, president of the Mexican Editorial…
Lebanon: Army imposes restrictions on coverage of northern clashes
New York, May 25, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned that journalists have been prevented since Monday from entering a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon during clashes between Islamist militants and the Lebanese Army. The Lebanese Army restricted public access to the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon, near Tripoli, the…