At least eight journalists attacked in Dhaka campus unrest
New York, September 14, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the violent attacks by pro-government activists on at least eight journalists covering demonstrations on the Dhaka University campus in the capital, Dhaka, last Saturday, September 11. Members of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s youth wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), went on a rampage around…
DRC: Fragile Freedom
Unrest shatters press freedom gains in the Democratic Republic of Congo with attacks and imprisonments surging yet again.A Special report by Julia Crawford The fragile state of press freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo was shattered when the eastern city of Bukavu fell briefly to Rwandan-backed rebels in early June. State-imposed restrictions and imprisonment,…
Government expels last foreign correspondent
New York, September 10, 2004—The last remaining foreign correspondent in Eritrea left the country yesterday after the government ordered his expulsion, he told the Committee to Protect Journalists in an interview today. Jonah Fisher, who worked in Eritrea for 18 months as correspondent for the BBC and Reuters, said authorities gave no reason for his…
Jakarta court delays Tempo verdict as international observers crowd courtroom
Jakarta, Sept. 7, 2004—Under intense scrutiny from the international media and press advocates from around the world, a court yesterday delayed its verdict in a criminal defamation case widely seen as a grave threat to press freedom in Indonesia. No official reason was given for delaying a verdict in the trial of Tempo editor Bambang…
Interim government imposes indefinite ban on Al-Jazeera
New York, September 7, 2004—Iraq’s interim government has imposed an indefinite ban on newsgathering by Al-Jazeera, extending a temporary suspension and saying the satellite news channel had failed to properly explain its coverage. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Iraqi leaders to reverse the ban immediately, saying it “amounts to censorship that further…
POLICE STORM NAJAF HOTEL, DETAIN AND THREATEN DOZENS OF JOURNALISTS
New York, August 26, 2004—Iraqi police, some masked and firing weapons, threatened and detained dozens of journalists Wednesday night at a hotel in the southern city of Najaf, where U.S. forces have battled with Shiite insurgents for several weeks. The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by this “thuggery,” Executive Director Ann Cooper said today.…
Photographer assaulted after taking pictures of official’s villa
New York, August 25, 2004—Armenian photojournalist Mkhitar Khachatryan was assaulted after photographing the opulent homes of government officials in the central Armenian resort city of Tsakhkadzor yesterday, according to local and international press reports. Khachatryan, with the news agency Fotolur, and Anna Israelyan, a correspondent with the independent daily Aravot, were reporting on damages caused…
Media activist and editors sued; millions sought
New York, August 25, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the civil libel suit filed this week by the telecommunications giant Shin Corporation against media activist Supinya Klangnarong. The lawsuit seeks damages of Bt400 million (US$10 million). The Thai-language newspaper the Thai Post and three of its editors—Thaweesin Sathitrattanacheewin, Roj Ngammaen, and Kannikar Wiriyakul—are…
Journalist killed
New York, August 25, 2004—Kamal Hossain, the local correspondent for the Bangla-language daily Ajker Kagoj, was abducted and brutally murdered by unknown assailants in the early morning of Sunday, August 22, in Manikcchari, eastern Chittagong District, according to local news reports. The newswire service the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported that police discovered Hossain’s…
Contempt ruling dismissed; source waives confidentiality
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2004—A contempt of court ruling against a Time magazine correspondent was dismissed yesterday after he agreed to testify in the CIA leak case. Matthew Cooper agreed to give a deposition after one of his sources, vice presidential aide I. Lewis Libby, waived confidentiality. Cooper was held in contempt this month by…