On 4th anniversary of Iraq conflict, press marks deadliest toll
New York, March 15, 2007—Four years after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, Iraq remains the deadliest country in the world for the press as local journalists continue to suffer disproportionately from the violence, research by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows. A total of 97 journalists and 37 media support staffers have been…
In Senegal, journalists given suspended prison term and heavy fine
New York, March 15, 2007— A court in the capital Dakar has sentenced two journalists to suspended prison terms and heavy damages on criminal defamation charges related to a June 2006 story on a consumer complaint against a car dealership, according to local journalists and news reports. Director Jean Meïssa Diop and reporter Faydy Dramé…
In Afghanistan, journalist pleads for Italian authorities to meet his kidnappers’ demands
New York, March 15, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of abducted La Repubblica reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo, as his recorded appeals to authorities to meet the kidnappers’ demands were released today. The Pajhwok Afghan News agency in Kabul, the country’s largest independent wire service, received an audio tape of Mastrogiacomo saying…
In Somalia, reporter held incommunicado since Friday
New York, March 14, 2007—A reporter for a leading broadcaster in the capital Mogadishu, has been jailed incommunicado since Friday by Somalia’s Ethiopian-backed transitional government while reporting on a story, local journalists told CPJ. Hassan Sade Dhaqane of private HornAfrik radio, the country’s first independent broadcaster, was arrested by three security agents while reporting on…
In Moscow, Klebnikov murder trial delayed as defendant goes missing
New York, March 14, 2007—The Moscow City Court postponed the start of the second jury trial of two men in the July 2004 slaying of Forbes Russia Editor Paul Klebnikov after one of the defendants went missing, according to local and international press reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities to locate defendant…
Local authorities close critical newspaper
New York, March 14, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the closure of independent weekly Dzerzhinets in the central Ukrainian city of Dneprodzerzhynsk and the harassment of its editor-in-chief. Dzerzhinets was closed on January 30, after the Zavodskoi civil district court convicted the paper of defamation and incitement of religious and national hatred.…
CPJ renews calls for release of BBC correspondent in Gaza
New York, March 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today renewed its call for the release of abducted BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston amid reports that the Hamas-led Palestinian government had identified his abductors and expected him to be freed soon. During a meeting in Gaza City, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya told BBC representatives…
Private press group executive jailed in CAR after criticizing official media body
New York, March 13, 2007—The leader of a local group of private press editors was jailed on Monday in the capital Bangui over statements critical of the governmental High Communication Council (HCC). Editor Michel Alkhaly Ngady of the private weekly Les Temps Nouveaux and the president of GEPPIC, a local organization of publishers, was summoned…
CPJ: The world calls for the release of Daniele Mastrogiacomo
New York, March 13, 2007—Amid a growing public outcry more than a week after the abduction of La Repubblica journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo and two Afghan assistants, the Committee to Protect Journalists again adds its voice to the global call for their release. Mastrogiacomo, a journalist with 27 years of experience who was on assignment for…
Burmese journalist U Win Tin spends 18 years in prison
New York, March 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities in Burma today to immediately release journalist U Win Tin, who has spent 18 years of a 20-year sentence in prison on trumped up anti-state charges. U Win Tin, former editor-in-chief of the daily Hanthawati, turned 77 on Monday. He is one of…