CPJ condemns media crackdown under martial law in Guinea
New York, February 14, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports of increasing government crackdowns on the media after President Lansana Conté declared martial law on Monday in response to deadly unrest in the country. 112 people have died since union leaders launched a national strike last month to demand the resignation of…
In Moscow, second Klebnikov murder trial starts tomorrow
New York, February 14, 2007–The second jury trial of two Chechen men charged in the July 2004 slaying of Forbes Russia Editor Paul Klebnikov will start tomorrow in Moscow. The Committee to Protect Journalists urges court officials to make the proceedings open to the public, to ensure the suspects are present in court, and to…
In Niger, court overturns conviction of journalists in defamation trial
New York, February 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Monday’s ruling by an appeals court in the capital Niamey to overturn the conviction of two journalists jailed for nearly four months on criminal defamation charges over an article critical of the prime minister. An appeals court repealed 18-month prison sentences handed down by a…
In Uzbekistan, journalist arrested and charged with smuggling illegal literature
New York, February 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the January 22 detention of an independent journalist and human rights researcher in Tashkent. Umida Niyazova covered politics and human rights in Uzbekistan for the Central Asia news Web site Oasis, a project of the Moscow-based media watchdog Center for Journalism in Extreme…
In Rwanda, a journalist is attacked over critical articles
New York, February 12, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the brutal attack on Friday against the editor of a private bi-monthly after the newspaper published articles critical of the government. Editor Jean Bosco Gasasira of the Kinyarwanda-language Umuvugizi remained in intensive care in a hospital in the capital Kigali late today after…
In Benin, journalists are released after 2 months in prison
New York, February 9, 2007—An appeals court in the capital Cotonou released today two journalists of a private daily newspaper after they publicly retracted a rape story. They were jailed since December 2, 2006 on a six-month criminal libel sentence. Director Clément Adéchian and reporter Cécil Adjévi of L’Informateur were released after agreeing to an…
In Eritrea, a prominent journalist dies in a secret government prison
New York, February 9, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores the reported death of prominent, award-winning journalist Fesshaye Yohannes, imprisoned without charges in September 2001, along with the majority of Eritrea’s independent press corps. Yohannes, founding editor of the defunct weekly Setit and a recipient of CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 2002, died…
CPJ condemns restrictions on journalists covering Sunday’s presidential vote in Turkmenistan
New York, February 9, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns restrictions on the foreign and domestic journalists covering the Turkmen presidential election on February 11. While voters will cast their ballots for a president for the first time since 1992 on Sunday, CPJ said the outcome is all but assured. The six presidential contenders, including…
In Tunisia, police arrest TV journalist
New York, February 8, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled by the overnight arrest of an opposition television station director by Tunisian police in the capital Tunis. Tahar Ben Hassine, director of Italy-based satellite channel Al-Hiwar Tunisi, was detained by Tunisian police in the Al-Manar neighborhood after leaving Tunisian dissident journalist Taoufik Ben Brik’s…
Colombia: Radio Journalist Flees Home Following Threats From Guerrilla Group
New York, February 8, 2008–Colombian journalist José Joaquín Chávez was forced to leave his home in Anzoátegui, in central Tolima province, after receiving several death threats from alleged members of a leftist guerrilla group. Chávez, director of the Anzoátegui-based community radio station Acción Estéreo and correspondent for the regional radio station La Voz del Tolima,…