Khartoum Monitor’s license canceled
New York, June 14, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Sunday’s decision by Sudanese justice officials to cancel the license of Sudan’s English-language daily, The Khartoum Monitor. Alfred Taban, the paper’s chairman, said he was notified in a letter from the National Press Council, the government agency that regulates the press. Taban told CPJ that…
Prominent newspaper distributor imprisoned
New York, June 13, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the arrest and imprisonment of a prominent newspaper distributor in the capital, Addis Ababa. Fikre Gudu, who buys thousands of copies of newspapers to distribute to news vendors, has been in detention since the evening of June 8, when he was arrested at…
Penn’s video camera briefly seized
New York, June 13, 2005—Iranian authorities briefly seized the video camera of actor-turned-journalist Sean Penn as he was recording a demonstration in Tehran on Sunday, The Washington Post reported. Penn, accredited as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, is providing coverage of the Iranian presidential election for the newspaper. “While this incident was not…
French journalist, Iraqi interpreter freed after five months in captivity
New York, June 13, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of a French journalist and her Iraqi interpreter who had been held captive in Iraq for more than five months. Florence Aubenas, a veteran foreign correspondent for the French daily Liberation, and her Iraqi interpreter Hussein Hanoun al-Saadi, were freed on Saturday. Hanoun…
More journalists arrested as protests continue in Nepal
New York, June 13, 2005—Dozens of Nepalese journalists were arrested today in the capital, Kathmandu, and the neighboring district of Kavre as protests against media restrictions continued across the country. More than 40 journalists were still being held in police stations in Kathmandu this evening, according to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) and other…
Journalists injured as protests continue in Nepal
New York, June 10, 2005—Several Nepalese journalists were injured, at least one seriously, as police clashed with reporters and photographers demonstrating against government media restrictions and detentions in protests across the country yesterday, according to local news reports. Guru Prasad Gautum, secretary of a local chapter of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, remained hospitalized today…
Zanzibar government bars critical journalist from working
New York, June 10, 2005—Authorities on the semi-autonomous Tanzanian island of Zanzibar have banned political columnist Jabir Idrissa from writing, saying he was working without permission. Idrissa told the Committee to Protect Journalists that he believes he was banned for criticizing the Zanzibar government. The Zanzibar-based Idrissa is a well-known political columnist for the weekly,…
Journalists freed; protests continue
New York, June 9, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes this morning’s release of more than 50 journalists who were jailed a day earlier in the capital, Kathmandu. The journalists, detained while protesting the government’s restrictive media policies, were not charged and the government offered no explanation.
Dozens of journalists arrested in Nepal
New York, June 8, 2005—Riot police in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, today arrested dozens of journalists who were protesting the government’s emergency press restrictions and proposed media law amendments that are expected to codify and stiffen those constraints. Local sources said police detained as many as 50 journalists, including the president of the Federation of…
Writer threatened
New York, June 6, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about death threats made in recent weeks against a U.S. journalist, author, and activist, and her family. Asra Nomani and her mother, Sajida Nomani, received two threatening phone calls that they believe were made by the same man, Nomani told CPJ. Asra Nomani…