Al-Sharqiya ordered closed in Baghdad
JANUARY 1, 2007 Posted: January 12, 2007 Al-Sharqiya CENSORED On January 1, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior ordered the closure of the privately owned Al-Sharqiya TV’s Baghdad office for fomenting sectarian violence and reporting false news. The immediate practical effect appeared nominal because Al-Sharqiya had previously closed the Baghdad office due to security concerns.
CPJ condemns murder of APTN cameraman
New York, December 12, 2006— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder today of an Associated Press Television News (APTN) cameraman in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Aswan Ahmed Lutfallah, 35, was gunned down by insurgents while filming clashes between Iraqi police and insurgents in the city’s al-Karama neighborhood, The Associated Press reported.
Internet fuels rise in number of jailed journalists
New York, December 7, 2006–The number of journalists jailed worldwide for their work increased for the second consecutive year, and one in three is now an Internet blogger, online editor, or Web-based reporter, according to an analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Detained talk show host released
UPDATE November 29, 2006Original Alert: November 28, 2006Honoré Kabongo, Radiotélévision Kintuadi (RTK)IMPRISONED Kabongo, the host of a news talk show with the religious TV station, was released without charge after four days in detention, according to local press freedom group Journaliste en Danger (JED) and RTK administrative director Adelin Mboma. He had been arrested in his…
Two journalists held for defaming the Prophet Muhammad
New York, November 17, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest of two independent journalists in Azerbaijan over an article that authorities claim insulted the Prophet Muhammad. Samir Sadagatoglu, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Senet, and reporter Rafiq Tagi, were detained after publishing an article on November 1 titled “Europe and Us.” Tagi, the…
Two Iraqi channels ordered closed in aftermath of Saddam verdict
New York, November 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the Iraq Interior Ministry’s decision on Sunday to close two Sunni-owned satellite channels indefinitely. Security forces raided Al-Zawraa TV in Baghdad and Saleheddin TV in Tikrit on grounds they were inciting violence in the hours after former leader Saddam Hussein was sentenced to…
CPJ fears silencing of critical Web site on Chechnya
New York, October 13, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the closure today of a Russian nongovernmental organization which publishes an online newspaper regarded as one of the few reliable sources of news on Chechnya. The closure comes just six days after the murder in Moscow of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of…
CPJ urges Thai leaders to restore constitutional press guarantees
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists urgently calls on your interim government to quickly and unconditionally restore provisions guaranteeing press freedom that were enshrined in your country’s recently abolished 1997 constitution.