New York, April 16, 2004—Three Czech journalists abducted on Sunday, April 11, outside Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, have been released, according to several new sources. Michal Kubal and cameraman Petr Klima, both of the public network Czech Television, and Vit Pohanka, of the public station Czech Radio, were kidnapped while en route from Baghdad to Amman,…
New York, April 15, 2004—Three Japanese civilians, including one photographer, abducted in Iraq last week were released today. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about reports that armed gunmen abducted another Japanese journalist and an activist from Japan near Baghdad yesterday. The Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera reported today that Japanese journalist…
New York, April 14, 2004—A French journalist abducted on Sunday near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, has been freed. The TV news agency Capa Television said that its reporter Alexandre Jordanov was released today, the Associated Press reported. No further details were available. Jordanov and his cameraman, Ivan Cerieix, were abducted on Sunday, April 11, while filming…
New York, April 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns today’s early-morning attack on several Armenian journalists who were covering an opposition rally in the country’s capital, Yerevan. According to local and international reports, four journalists were seriously beaten. Ayk Gevorgian and Avetis Babajanian, reporters with the opposition daily Aykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times); Levon…
New York, April 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns today’s early-morning arson attack on the printing press of the private, Banjul-based biweekly The Independent. According to local sources, at around 3 a.m. this morning, six armed men stormed the building housing The Independent’s printing press in Kanifing, a suburb of the capital, Banjul.…
New York, April 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has learned that French journalist Alexandre Jordanov, with TV news agency Capa Television, was abducted on Sunday, April 11, near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. Jordanov and his cameraman, Ivan Cerieix, were filming clashes between U.S. troops and Iraqi insurgents after an attack on U.S. convoy. Ceriex,…
New York, April 12, 2004—Amid a climate of increasing danger in Iraq, three Czech journalists have gone missing. A Japanese freelance journalist who was abducted on April 8, along with two other Japanese civilians, remains in captivity. Michal Kubal and his cameraman Petr Klima, both of the public network Czech Television, are feared kidnapped since…
New York, April 8, 2004—At least one journalist is believed to be among three Japanese civilians abducted today in Iraq by an unknown group calling itself the Mujahedeen Squadrons. The news comes amid escalating clashes between Coalition forces and Iraqis, as well as several incidents this week in which foreigners—including journalists—have been briefly held by…
New York, April 8, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has learned that journalist Gaston Bony, publication director of Le Venin weekly newspaper and a host at the radio station La Voix de l’Agnéby, has been sentenced to six months in prison on criminal defamation charges. On March 24, a court in Agboville, a town…
New York, April 7, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the shooting of Delwar Hossain, correspondent of the Bangla-language daily Jugantor, who was attacked in the capital, Dhaka, on the afternoon of Sunday, April 4. Hossain was in a store in central Dhaka when two unidentified men entered and shot him, according to local…