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New York, November 23, 2004—The editor of Umuseso, Rwanda’s only independent newspaper, was acquitted today on a criminal charge of ethnic “divisionism,” but convicted of defamation for a story that raised questions about parliament’s vice president. Charles Kabonero averted a prison sentence, but was ordered to pay a fine of 8,500 Rwandan francs (US$15) and…
New York, November 16, 2004—The editor of Umuseso, a Rwandan language independent weekly, was tried today on criminal charges of defamation and “divisionism” in connection with an article that accused parliamentary Vice President Denis Polisi of plotting to seize power. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the trial, saying journalists should not be criminally prosecuted…
New York, November 12, 2004—The battered body of a local newspaper editor from the eastern state of Orissa was found by the side of a highway near the village of Bhagirathipur on Tuesday, November 9, police sources told the Press Trust of India (PTI), a national newswire service. Dilip Mohapatra, editor of the Oriya-language newspaper…
New York, November 12, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply disturbed by a new directive from Iraqi authorities that warns news organizations to reflect the government’s positions in their reporting or face unspecified action. The warning came in a statement released Thursday but dated November 9 by the government regulatory Media High Commission. The…
New York, November 12, 2004—Antoine Massé, a correspondent for the private daily Le Courrier d’Abidjan, was fatally shot November 7 while covering violent clashes between French troops and demonstrators in the western Ivoirian town of Duékoué, his editor told the Committee to Protect Journalists today. CPJ called on French and Ivoirian authorities to conduct thorough…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by Thursday’s violent attacks on four private newspapers in Abidjan, and by a government ban against eight newspapers. These grave attacks on press freedom came as hostilities resumed in the rebel-held north of the country. We are also alarmed at the silencing of three international radio stations in Abidjan, reportedly by an act of sabotage.
In Togo, journalists are skeptical but see opportunity in the regime’s bid to shed sanctions. By Adam Posluns with reporting by Alexis Arieff With 37 years in power, Togolese President Gnassingbé Eyadéma is Africa’s longest-serving head of state. Even after the country introduced multiparty elections more than a decade ago, Eyadéma and his ruling party,…