New York, September 26, 2006–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by news that Uzbek journalist Dzhamshid Karimov, nephew of the president, has been forced into psychiatric hospitalization. CPJ is also gravely concerned by reports that raise disturbing questions about the treatment of jailed reporter Ulugbek Khaidarov. “We’re shocked at the brutal methods used against…
New York, September 25, 2006—An appeals court in Niger today upheld 18-month jail sentences for two journalists convicted of defamation and spreading false information in an article criticizing Prime Minister Hama Amadou. The court in the capital Niamey rejected a defense motion which challenged the competence of the criminal court that convicted Maman Abou and…
New York, September 25, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the decision of a court in Zimbabwe today to dismiss charges of broadcasting without a license against 10 employees of independent news production company Voice of the People (VOP). A court in Harare threw the case out, calling it a “circus,” after the prosecution asked…
New York, September 22, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that a U.S. District Court judge has imposed jail sentences against two San Francisco Chronicle reporters who refused to reveal the source or sources of secret grand jury testimony about alleged steroid use by professional athletes. The judge, ruling on Thursday, stayed the sentence…
New York, September 22, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on China and the International Olympic Committee to address concerns about press freedom when they brief the international media next week on preparations for the 2008 Beijing games. CPJ is troubled by new policies restricting the flow of information in China and the government’s continued…
New York, September 22, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces further restrictions on press freedom imposed by the leaders of Thailand’s military coup. The junta issued broadcast media directives Thursday that resulted in the closure of more than 300 community radio stations in the north, the political stronghold of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The…
New York, September 22, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Cong Thanh Do, a Vietnamese political activist and pro-democracy advocate who writes on the Internet under the pen name Tran Nam. Cong was detained August 14 while on vacation with his family in Phan Thiet on the central Vietnam coast, 125 miles…
New York, September 21, 2006—As violence against journalists and violations of press freedom grow in Pakistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the government to keep its promise to reveal all information it holds on media deaths and disappearances. CPJ research shows that nine journalists have died for their work since 2002, and there…
New York, September 21, 2006—As Thailand’s new ruling military junta imposed restrictions on the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the transitional authority to uphold the press freedom guarantees enshrined in the recently dissolved 1997 constitution. The ruling Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) called a meeting today with senior…
New York, September 21, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the prosecution for criminal insult of a Russian journalist who satirized President Vladimir Putin’s campaign to boost the birth rate. Vladimir Rakhmankov, editor-in-chief of the independent news Web site Kursiv, went on trial today in the city of Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow,…