Judge holds Times reporter in contempt in CIA case
New York, October 7, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned that a federal judge has held another reporter in contempt for not disclosing confidential sources to prosecutors investigating the leak of a CIA operative’s identity. Judge Thomas F. Hogan today ordered New York Times reporter Judith Miller jailed until she agrees to testify…
Veteran journalist brutally murdered by ax-wielding assailants
New York, October 4, 2004—Assailants wielding knives and traditional axes brutally murdered the executive editor of the Bangla-language daily, Durjoy Bangla, late Saturday night in the latest fatal attack on the press in Bangladesh, according to local journalists and press accounts. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating the potential motives behind the slaying to…
Journalist missing in rebel zone for more than a month
New York, October 4, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that a correspondent for the private daily L’Inter has gone missing from the rebel-held town of Bouake after receiving threats from rebels. Amadou Dagnogo was last seen on August 28 by a neighbor, according to L’Inter Editor Charles d’Almeida. Before disappearing,…
Backing off earlier statements, Moscow police deny progress in Klebnikov case
New York, October 4, 2004—Moscow police have backed away from statements made by their chief last week in which he said two Chechen men were considered suspects in the murder of Paul Klebnikov, editor of Forbes Russia, according to local press reports. Police Chief Vladimir Pronin was widely quoted in local and international news reports…
Another reporter gunned down, as journalists’ death toll rises
New York, September 29, 2004-Gunmen shot and killed a tabloid reporter early this morning in Bataan province, in the central Luzon region, according to local and international news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder to determine if it was related to the journalist’s reporting. The reporter, identified as…
CNN producer freed in Gaza City
New York, September 28, 2004—CNN producer Riad Ali was freed and in the custody of Palestinian police today, a day after being abducted by gunmen on a main street in Gaza City, CNN reported. CNN President Jim Walton said the station was “enormously relieved” that Ali had been released. “His ordeal serves to highlight the…
Inter-American Court condemns criminal defamation conviction
New York, September 28, 2004–In a decision with broad implications for press freedom in Latin America, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that a criminal defamation conviction in Paraguay violated international law. The court, in a decision handed down this month, found that the criminal proceedings themselves violated the American Convention on Human…
Declaration on Criminal Defamation in the Americas
Journalists, freedom of expression, and press freedom advocates gathered in New York on September 10, 2004 welcome the decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Mauricio Herrera Ulloa, as well as the concurring opinion by President Judge García Ramírez. The decision and concurrence raise important questions about the compatibility of…
Moscow police say two Chechens suspected in Klebnikov murder
New York, September 28, 2004—Moscow police said today that they have arrested two Chechen men suspected in the July 9 murder of Paul Klebnikov, editor of Forbes Russia, according to local and international press reports. Police Chief Vladimir Pronin said the men, arrested last night, had been wanted in connection with a kidnapping case. Three…
Police beat two photographers covering Kashmir unrest
New York, September 27, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Saturday’s attack on photographers Rafiq Maqbool of The Associated Press, and Amin War of the national newspaper The Tribune, who were beaten by police while covering a violent demonstration in Srinagar, the summer capital of war-torn Kashmir. Maqbool and War were photographing as many as…