Bomb damages office of popular daily newspaper
New York, December 19, 2005—An explosion on Sunday evening damaged the Tirana headquarters of Shekulli, Albania’s most popular independent daily, but staff members escaped injury, according to international press reports. Editor-in-Chief Robert Rakipllari said 15 staff members were working when the bomb exploded outside the newspaper building, The Associated Press reported. No one immediately claimed…
CPJ mourns devastating plane crash
New York, December 6, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is shocked and saddened by the crash today of an Iranian military plane that claimed the lives of more than 100 people, mostly journalists. An Iranian C-130 military transport plane crashed into a Tehran apartment building, killing its 10 person crew and all 84 passengers, who…
Radio director freed but faces expulsion from country
New York, November 30, 2005—Chadian authorities freed community radio director Tchanguis Vatankah on Tuesday after improperly holding the journalist in detention for more than two months. Vatankah, whose station is known for critical reporting and commentary, still faces a government expulsion order and has been ordered not to speak to the press, according to Evariste…
Kurdish editor sentenced to one year in jail
New York, October 19, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the one-year prison sentence given to Kurdish journalist and human rights activist Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand by an Iranian court. The court declared Kabudvand, managing editor of the bilingual Kurdish and Farsi Payam Mardom Kordestan, guilty of “inciting the population to rebel against the central state,”…
Three journalists freed; another ordered expelled
New York, September 26, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of three jailed journalists today in Chad. Garondé Djarma, Michaël Didama, and Sy Koumbo Singa Gali had been sentenced in July and August to prison terms ranging from six months to three years on charges related to their work. An appeals court in…
CHAD
SEPTEMBER 25, 2005 Posted October 13, 2005 Tchanguis Vatankah, Radio Brakos IMPRISONED Chadian authorities arrested community radio station director Tchanguis Vatankah in southern Chad and announced they would expel him from the country, according to local sources. A native of Iran who had been living in Chad for several decades, Vatankah is the founder and…
Immediate release is sought
New York, July 18, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep concern today about the health of jailed Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji, who was reported hospitalized during his more than month-long hunger strike. Massoumeh Shafii, Ganji’s wife, told Reuters that Ganji had been taken to Tehran’s Milad Hospital, the news agency reported today. She said…
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…
Journalist released from prison
New York, May 31, 2005—Iranian authorities temporarily released imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji. Ganji was released for medical leave on Sunday, according to press reports. Judicial authorities had previously refused Ganji’s request to be released on medical leave, prompting him to start a hunger strike on April 18. Ganji ended the strike after his release. Ganji’s…