In Afghanistan, U.S. troops confiscate pictures after attack
New York, March 5, 2007 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is disturbed by reports that U.S. soldiers deleted reporters’ photos and television footage of the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack on Sunday, in which several Afghan civilians were killed by U.S. fire. Soldiers deleted photos and videos taken by Associated Press freelance photographer…
Journalist arrested in Ireland; two others investigated
New York, March 5, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest of freelance reporter Mick McCaffrey and the criminal investigation of Irish Times journalists Geraldine Kennedy and Colm Keena for allegedly publishing private information. Police investigated McCaffrey for several months after the independent Dublin-based Evening Herald daily published his August 2006 article about police…
Prominent Russian defense correspondent dies in mysterious fall
New York, March 5, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death in Moscow of Ivan Safronov, a well-known military correspondent for the independent business daily Kommersant. Safronov fell more than four stories from a staircase window in his apartment building on Friday. Prosecutors consider suicide likely but have not yet completed their investigation, the…
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Radio journalist detained for two days over critical commentary
MARCH 27, 2007 Posted April 27, 2007 Minyanya Wasso, Radio Liberté HARASSED Five armed police officers stormed the studios of private Radio Liberté in the far eastern Sud Kivu province, arresting a journalist airing a live program and causing the station to go off the air for 30 minutes, Director Philemon Kangeta told CPJ.
SWAZILAND: Pastor threatens journalists over story
March 2, 2007 Posted March 29, 2007 Martin Dlamini, Times of Swaziland Nhlanhla Mathunjwa, Times of Swaziland THREATENED Managing editor Dlamini and reporter Mathunjwa of the leading independent daily Times of Swaziland in the central commercial town of Manzini were threatened with death by Catholic pastor Justice Dlamini over a story critical of the pastor,…
Journalists threatened with death after reporting on murder scandal
MARCH 2, 2007 Posted: April 2, 2007 Guatavisión THREATENED Erick Salazar, news director for the program “Guatavisión,” aired on the national television station by the same name, reported that unidentified individuals threatened the program’s reporters with death if they continued to report on the political scandal that followed the murder of three Salvadoran congressmen and…
Yemeni editors face criminal prosecution over critical reporting
New York, March 2, 2007–The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by criminal defamation prosecutions of three Yemeni editors. Independent weekly Al-Deyar Editor-in-Chief Abed al-Mahthari was charged with defaming Watani Bank for Trade and Investment; Al-Shoura.net Editor Abdelkarim al-Khaiwani was charged with publishing false information about the Defense Ministry and defaming Armed Forces Moral…
Gabonese government bans tabloid for three months
New York, March 2, 2007 —The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed that authorities in the capital, Libreville, have suspended a satirical newspaper for three months, apparently after it published commentary critical of President Omar Bongo, according to news reports and local journalists. The official National Communications Council (CNC) suspended the private bimonthly Edzombolo on…
In Togo, journalist banned from broadcast over critical commentary
New York, March 1, 2007—The Togolese government on Wednesday indefinitely banned from broadcast veteran journalist and media activist Daniel Lawson-Drackey over a commentary on private radio Nana FM that was critical of a government minister, according to local journalists. “It’s outrageous that the government is censoring a respected journalist for raising critical questions about an…
CPJ troubled by second arrest at a critical newspaper in Sri Lanka
New York, March 1, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled by the arrest on Saturday of the publisher of the Sunday Standard and Sinhala-language Mawbima newspaper in Sri Lanka. The editors of Mawbima said that Dushyantha Basnayake’s arrest was part of a “campaign of harassment” against the newspaper which began after it published articles…