GABON
AUGUST 9, 2005 Updated: September 7, 2005 Nku’u Le Messager CENSORED Gabon’s media regulatory council suspended the independent bimonthly newspaper Nku’u Le Messager over an editorial it said insulted the council, according to local news reports and the publication director. In a statement, the council said the suspension would be lifted only if the newspaper…
CHAD
AUGUST 8, 2005 Updated: October 17, 2005 Michaël Didama, Le Temps IMPRISONED, LEGAL ACTION Michaël Didama, director of the private weekly Le Temps, was convicted on charges of defamation and incitement to hatred and sentenced to six months in jail in connection with articles describing rebel groups in eastern Chad, according to local sources.
Journalist sentenced to six months in jail
New York, August 8, 2005—Michaël Didama, director of the private weekly Le Temps, was convicted on charges of defamation and incitement to hatred today and sentenced to six months in jail in connection with articles describing rebel groups in eastern Chad, according to local sources. The charges stemmed from May articles in Le Temps, one…
NEPAL
AUGUST 1, 2005 Posted: August 2, 2005 Harihar Singh Rathour, Kantipur and Kathmandu PostPushkar Thapa, Annapurna Post Kamal Neupane, Nepal Samacharpatra HARASSED Security forces in Nepal’s mid-western Dailekh district harassed the three journalists in retaliation for their reports alleging that the Royal Nepalese Army recruited children to work as informants.
CPJ condemns harassment of journalists by Royal Nepalese Army
New York, August 1, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the harassment and intimidation of three journalists by security forces in Nepal’s mid-western Dailekh district in retaliation for their reports alleging that the Royal Nepalese Army is recruiting children to work as informants. Harihar Singh Rathour, a reporter for Kantipur daily and Kathmandu Post; Pushkar…
State broadcaster told to stop opposition coverage
New York, July 28, 2005—A group of armed, uniformed soldiers yesterday stormed the Abidjan offices of state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI) and instructed directors not to broadcast footage of opposition members, according to CPJ sources and local news reports. The soldiers identified themselves as members of the Republican Guard but refused to give their…
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…
IVORY COAST
JULY 26, 2005 Posted: July 28, 2005 José Stéphane Koudou, Le Jour Plus ATTACKED Supporters of the ruling Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI) party brutally assaulted Koudou, a political reporter for the private daily Le Jour Plus, according to local sources. The attack occurred as Koudou was reporting on a press conference planned by the youth…
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…