Nobel laureate Mahfouz calls for release of jailed Arab journalists
New York, May 5, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists joins acclaimed Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz in calling on Arab governments to free jailed journalists including two Egyptian reporters detained last week while covering demonstrations in Cairo. Mahfouz, who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for literature, launched his appeal in an interview with the semi-official Egyptian…
CPJ demands justice for journalists as treason trial resumes
New York, May 5, 2006—Initial proceedings in the treason trial of 14 Ethiopian journalists have reinforced concerns that the defendants may not get a fair trial, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. Prosecutors are due to start presenting evidence on May 8 against the journalists and dozens of opposition leaders accused of conspiring to overthrow…
Journalist beaten after report criticizing religious leader
New York, May 5, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Thursday’s attack on Pape Cheikh Fall, a correspondent for the private radio station RFM in the central Senegalese city of Mbacké. RFM’s parent group Futurs Médias linked the attack to a report criticizing a local religious leader’s foray into politics. Fall was beaten with metal…
Singapore: Politicians file defamation charges over critical commentary
New York, May 5, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about criminal defamation charges recently filed by Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong against politicians responsible for the production of an opposition-run newspaper, The New Democrat. The Lees’ lawyer also threatened to file defamation charges against Melodies…
Two charged in Klebnikov murder acquitted
Editor’s note: The final paragraph has been amended to make clear that 12 murders remain unsolved. New York, May 5, 2006— A Moscow jury acquitted two Chechens today of the murder of Forbes Russia editor-in-chief Paul Klebnikov after a trial criticized by the Committee to Protect Journalists for its lack of transparency.
Media council suspends newspaper for critical article
New York, May 4, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the recent suspension of the twice-monthly private newspaper L’Enquêteur by Guinea’s National Communications Council after it published an article critical of President Lansana Conté’s government. Council Chairman Boubacar Yacine Diallo confirmed to CPJ via e-mail that the paper was suspended for two months on April…
Criminal case against prominent journalist dropped
New York, May 4, 2006—The case against prominent journalist Madiambal Diagne was dropped on Tuesday on a procedural issue, ending a legal saga that spanned nearly two years and galvanized the Senegalese press. But the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern that the criminal charges used to jail Diagne for more than two weeks in…
Botswana TV crew arrested in Zimbabwe
New York, May 3, 2006—Two journalists from Botswana’s state broadcaster were arrested by Zimbabwean police on April 30, held for two days, and charged with violating Zimbabwe’s draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), Botswana’s director of broadcasting services, Bapasi Mphusu, confirmed today. Botswana Television (BTV) reporter Beauty Mokoba and cameraman Koketso…
Philippines: CPJ calls for thorough probe in slaying
New York, May 3, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for an immediate and full investigation into the shooting death today of newspaper columnist Nicholas Cervantes, 65. According to media reports, he was shot three times in the chest by a group of four or five assailants outside of his house in suburban Manila. Cervantes,…
Italian court frees journalist held after writing about serial murders
New York, May 3, 2006—Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist whose new book raises questions about a serial murder investigation, was released from a prison in the central city of Perugia on Saturday, according to local and international press reports. An appeals court that day ordered that Spezi be released immediately, but it did not issue…