CPJ concerned about delay in witness testimony in Thai trial
New York, August 19, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a delay in the testimony of three international expert witnesses who were scheduled to appear in court in Bangkok this week in defense of media activist Supinya Klangnarong, who is on trial with the Thai-language daily Thai Post on criminal defamation charges. Shin…
The Philippines: Amid troubles, a rich press tradition
The pivotal role of the Philippine press in the nation’s history is a point of pride among journalists. The newspaper La Solidaridad, published in Spain and distributed to intellectual reformers in the Philippines, was a mouthpiece for revolutionary sentiment against the Spanish at the end of the 19th century. One of its principal contributors, the author and national hero José Rizal, was executed by the Spanish in 1896 for being the intellectual inspiration for the independence movement.
CPJ protests spy charge against Straits Times reporter
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the charge of espionage leveled on Friday against Straits Times reporter Ching Cheong, who has been detained since April without access to legal representation or his family. As an independent organization of journalists dedicated to defending our colleagues worldwide, we are gravely concerned that a pattern of using national security charges against journalists is seriously inhibiting the ability of the press to cover important events in China.
Court upholds 10-year sentence for journalist Shi Tao
New York, June 30, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists deplores the Hunan Supreme People’s Court decision to uphold the conviction of journalist Shi Tao on charges of “illegally leaking state secrets abroad.” The ruling makes it more likely that Shi will serve out the bulk of a 10-year prison sentence for e-mailing to the editor…
Philippine journalist murders far from solved, mission finds
Manila, Philippines, June 26, 2005—Despite Philippine government claims that it has solved more than half of journalist murders since 1986, a joint mission by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance has found that the official definition of “solved cases” is misleading, that justice has not been served in the vast…
New accusation extends jail time without trial forNew York Times researcher
New York, June 1, 2005 Police have leveled a new accusation at imprisoned New York Times researcher Zhao Yan, which permits Chinese authorities to continue holding him for an additional unspecified period of months. Zhao, who was formally arrested in October 2004 under suspicion of leaking state secrets, is now accused of fraud, police…
Imprisoned journalist Jiang Weiping in ill health
New York, May 17, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled by the recent deterioration in the health care and prison conditions provided to Jiang Weiping, an investigative journalist now serving his fifth year in jail. Prison authorities have barred Jiang from making phone calls during recent months and have denied him permission to read…
CHINA
MAY 3, 2005 Posted: May 3, 2005 Cheng Yizhong, Nanfang Dushi Bao and Nanfang Tiyu HARASSED Chinese authorities refused to allow Cheng to receive a United Nations press freedom award on May 3. Cheng, who was imprisoned for five months in 2004 after his aggressive investigative journalism angered local officials, was ordered not to attend…
CPJ protests harassment of exiled journalist
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by the ongoing harassment of acclaimed poet and freelance radio journalist Liu Hongbin. Liu, who lives in exile in the United Kingdom, has been banned from returning to China to visit his mother, who has fallen seriously ill.