New York, May 24, 2005—Hundreds of journalists took to the streets of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, today in a silent protest of reported government moves to amend the media law to impose further restrictions on the press. The Kathmandu-based dailies Kantipur and Kathmandu Post, citing an unnamed source, reported late last week that officials had moved…
New York, May 23, 2005—The former presenter for a popular MTV-style music video program was shot and killed in her home in Kabul last week. Shaima Rezayee, 24, hosted the daily music program “Hop” on the private television channel Tolo TV until March. Police told The Associated Press that Rezayee was killed May 18 by…
New York, May 23, 2005—Three Romanian journalists and their translator were released Sunday after nearly two months of captivity in Iraq. The journalists arrived in Romania today. A group identifying itself as the Muadh ibn Jabal Brigade kidnapped reporter Marie Jeanne Ion and cameraman Sorin Dumitru Miscoci, both of Bucharest-based Prima TV, and reporter Ovidiu…
Doha, Qatar, May 23, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a report today to an ad hoc group investigating journalist safety issues. The group requested the statement from CPJ as part of its yearlong effort to study the causes and effects of the rising death toll of journalists worldwide. Known as the Committee of Inquiry,…
Doha, Qatar, Monday, May 23, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists has analyzed the deaths of journalists across the world for many years, producing two recent reports that highlight alarming trends in the circumstances, locations, and motives. At least 339 journalists were killed on duty between 1995 and 2004, according to CPJ research compiled in January.…
New York, May 23, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by the continued harassment of Yuri Bagrov, a North Caucasus correspondent for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). A Federal Security Service (FSB) agent prevented Bagrov from covering an opposition rally on Friday, then followed him back to his office and…
Doha, Qatar, May 23, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists today released an Arabic language version of its journalist security handbook, “On Assignment: A Guide to Reporting in Dangerous Situations.” Frank Smyth, CPJ’s journalist security coordinator and author of the handbook, officially launched the new edition at a press conference here. The new edition updates the…
New York, May 20, 2005 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention and expulsion of several foreign journalists who traveled to Cuba to cover an unprecedented gathering today of opposition activists and international observers. Italian journalist Francesco Battistini, who arrived in Cuba last night on assignment for the Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera,…
New York, May 19, 2005—Zimbabwean security forces yesterday detained a freelance journalist filming police as they cleared Harare’s central business district of street vendors, according to a lawyer for the press freedom group MISA-Zimbabwe. The journalist, Frank Chikowore, was being held without charge today. “It’s outrageous that Zimbabwean authorities would lock up someone who was…
New York, May 18, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by a series of chilling death threats made this week against three well-known Colombian journalists in the capital, Bogotá. Daniel Coronell, news director of “Noticias Uno” (News One) on the television station Canal Uno; Carlos Lozano, news director with the weekly Voz (Voice);…