CPJ condemns government crackdown on private broadcasters
New York, February 14, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the closures of several private radio stations in the capital, Lomé. On Friday, February 11, Togolese authorities shuttered four stations that have protested the military’s appointment of the son of the late President Gnassingbé Eyadema as leader. Today, two more stations were closed.
TOGO
FEBRUARY 11, 2005 Updated: March 10, 2005 Nana FM Kanal FM Radio Nostalgie TV7 Fréquence 1 CENSORED Security forces accompanied by representatives of Togo’s Telecommunication and Postal Services’ regulatory agency went to the offices of private radio stations Nana FM, Kanal FM, and Radio Nostalgie, as well as to the private television station TV7 and…
IRAQ
FEBRUARY 4, 2005 Posted: March 14, 2004 Giuliana Sgrena, Il ManifestoABDUCTED Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, abducted on February 4, was released on March 4. Shortly after her release, she was wounded and an Italian intelligence agent escorting her was killed when U.S.-led coalition forces fired on their car near a military checkpoint in Baghdad.
King and army shut down independent press
New York, February 3, 2005—Two days after Nepal’s king declared a state of emergency, the independent press has been effectively shut down with blanket news bans introduced, military patrols placed at media outlets, and reprisals threatened against journalists. King Gyanendra has imposed a six-month ban on what state radio described as critical reporting on government…
Journalist to be prosecuted in case of leaked documents
New York, February 2, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the prosecution of journalist Patricia Poleo on charges of illegally obtaining and disclosing sealed case documents and violating anticorruption legislation. The Attorney General’s Office announced Monday that Poleo would be prosecuted for publicizing confidential information in the investigation into the November 2004…
ZIMBABWE
FEBRUARY 2005 Posted: March 14, 2005 Cornelius Nduna, freelance THREATENED In early February, police began searching for Nduna, a freelance television producer and reporter who worked for several foreign media organizations, on suspicion of possessing “sensitive tapes” passed to him by an employee of the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, according to his lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa.
NEPAL
FEBRUARY 1, 2005 Posted: February 4, 2005 All journalists HARASSED, THREATENED, CENSORED, LEGAL ACTION Nepal’s king declared a state of emergency and effectively shut down the independent press with blanket news bans, military patrols at media outlets, and threatened reprisals against journalists.
VENEZUELA
JANUARY 31, 2005 Posted: February 4, 2005 Patricia Poleo, El Nuevo País LEGAL ACTION The Attorney General’s Office announced that Poleo, a columnist and director of the Caracas daily El Nuevo País, would be prosecuted on charges of illegally obtaining and disclosing sealed case documents and violating anticorruption legislation. Poleo was accused of publicizing confidential…