Company seeks massive damages in defamation cases
Bangkok, Thailand, July 28, 2005—A Thai company with ties to a former government official has filed criminal defamation complaints seeking massive damages from two daily newspapers owned by the Matichon media company. The Committee to Protect Journalists said today it is deeply concerned about the cases, part of a troubling trend toward litigation against the…
Steiger, Brokaw visit Miller in prison, present message from CPJ
Alexandria, Va., July 28, 2005—A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists met with jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller in the Alexandria Detention Center tonight to deliver a message of support and call for an immediate end to her imprisonment. Paul Steiger, CPJ chairman and Wall Street Journal managing editor, headed the delegation,…
Radio station resumes broadcasts; media council replaced
New York, July 27, 2005—The National Communications Council—known by its French acronym CNC—authorized independent radio station Radio Publique Africaine to resume broadcasting as of today, after police shuttered it on Friday in a standoff over news content. President Domitien Ndayizeye also named a new CNC, following the resignation yesterday of its former chairman Jean Pierre…
Internet journalist jailed for defamation
New York, July 26, 2005 – The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the imprisonment of Internet journalist Li Jianping on suspicion of defamation. Authorities detained Li on May 27 in Zibo, a city in northeastern China’s Shandong Province, and formally arrested him for defamation on June 30, according to ChinaEForum, a U.S.-based dissident news forum.…
Independent journalist detained in Havana
New York, July 26, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of independent Cuban journalist Oscar Mario González, who has been held in police custody since Friday. González, a journalist with the independent news agency Grupo de Trabajo Decoro, was arrested around 9 a.m. on July 22, about a block from his house, as…
CPJ condemns attacks on private newspapers
New York, July 26, 2005—Pro-government militia forcibly disrupted the distribution of private newspapers around the administrative capital Abidjan yesterday, threatening the papers and forcing some to evacuate their premises, according to local sources. Two dailies, Le Nouveau Réveil and Dernière Heure, failed to publish today. Monday morning, militia known as Young Patriots entered Edipresse, the…
Independent radio station remains closed
New York, July 25, 2005—Radio Publique Africaine remained off the air today after police in Burundi closed the independent broadcaster’s offices on Friday night, briefly detaining eight journalists and continuing a standoff over the station’s news coverage. RPA Deputy Director Jean-Marie Hicuburundi told CPJ that he and seven colleagues were taken to a police station…
CPJ concerned about health of imprisoned Internet writer
New York, July 25, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that the health of imprisoned writer Pham Hong Son is deteriorating. Son, imprisoned since 2002 for distributing pro-democracy writings, has been coughing up blood, a U.S.-based Vietnamese dissident group, the People’s Democracy Party (PDP), reported last week. Family members have requested…
Police shutter independent radio station
New York, July 22, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply shocked about today’s closure of independent radio station Radio Publique Africaine. The closure took place despite an earlier compromise deal between the authorities and RPA, local sources said. RPA fell silent around 5 p.m. local time as a large group of police broke into…
Government raids several newspaper offices
New York, July 20, 2005—Police in Karachi cracked down on Islamic fundamentalist publications in the past week, raiding the offices of several newspapers, arresting four journalists and several newspaper vendors, and confiscating copies of the publications. On Saturday, police raided and shut down the offices of the fundamentalist Urdu-language weekly Zarb-i-Islam, arresting editor Nasir Ali…