journalist Ching Cheong extended
New York, December 12, 2005—Chinese authorities have extended for three months the detention without charge of Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong, a move condemned today by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ching, a reporter for the Singapore daily The Straits Times, has been held since April 22 without access to a lawyer. “It is deplorable…
Two more journalists jailed on old charges
New York, December 12, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged that two more journalists have been jailed on criminal charges that have been revived since a crackdown on the press in November. The convictions last week relating to articles published up to seven years ago bring the number of journalists now behind bars in…
CPJ condemns killing of Al-Nahar columnist and manager
New York, December 12, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the assassination today in Beirut of Gebran Tueni, a journalist and member of parliament who was a fierce critic of Syria and its policies in Lebanon. Tueni, 48, was managing director of Lebanon’s leading daily Al-Nahar. A parked car exploded as Tueni’s armored vehicle drove…
Accreditation of last independent foreign broadcaster withheld
New York, December 12, 2005—Uzbekistan today denied accreditation to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), silencing the last independent foreign broadcaster reporting from the country. The Foreign Ministry wrote the U.S.-funded radio station that it would not renew accreditation for its Tashkent bureau and would withdraw the current press cards of four RFE/RL correspondents in the…
Government intensifies crackdown on freedom of expression
New York, December 9, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of journalist Hang Sakhorn on a charge of criminal libel, part of a growing government crackdown on freedom of expression in Cambodia. Sakhorn, editor of the occasional newspaper Ponleu Samaki, was arrested December 2 over an article published in September that accused state…
CPJ welcomes Supreme Court decision to move murder trial venue
New York, December 9, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Philippine Supreme Court’s ruling ordering the transfer of venue in the murder trial of columnist Marlene Esperat-Garcia from the city of Tacurong on the southern island of Mindanao to the central city of Cebu. The High Court’s November 23 decision, which was made public…
Authorities ignore second Supreme Court order to free journalist
New York, December 9, 2005—Tajik authorities have ignored a second Supreme Court order to release jailed independent journalist Jumaboy Tolibov, according to a local CPJ legal source, who is monitoring the case. The court ruled on October 11 and again on November 28 that Tolibov should be freed from a detention center in the town…
Journalist attacked twice in a week amid worsening press freedom crisis
New York, December 9, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the beating and intimidation of Mohammad Sadiq al-Odaini, head of a Yemeni independent press freedom group. Al-Odaini, secretary-general of the Center for Training and Protecting Journalist Freedom, told CPJ that earlier this week he was threatened at gunpoint by a man he recognized as a…
Authorities seize independent publisher’s passport
New York, December 9, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the seizure of the passport of Trevor Ncube, owner and director of Zimbabwe’s two remaining independent newspapers and of South Africa’s Mail and Guardian. Ncube was ordered to hand over his passport on Thursday when he landed in Zimbabwe at Bulawayo airport from South Africa…
Journalists threatened by Islamic militants
New York, December 8, 2005 —The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by death threats from a banned Islamic group against journalists in four towns and cities in Bangladesh. Local media and CPJ sources said Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which is suspected of having killed up to 20 people in bombings in the last nine days,…