Sindh TV cable distribution halted
NOVEMBER 8, 2006 Posted: November 16, 2006 SINDH TV CENSORED Cable operators were ordered to stop delivering the privately owned Sindhi-language channel by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). The broadcaster was given no explanation by the government for its decision. The channel’s management said the authority did not say how long the ruling…
Independent journalist sentenced to two years’ house arrest
New York, November 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the sentence of two years’ house arrest handed down by a Cuban court to a journalist who reported on a dengue fever outbreak that the authorities censored. Journalist Guillermo Espinosa Rodríguez of the independent agency Agencia de Prensa Libre Oriental (APLO) was convicted by a…
Editor released
UPDATE November 7, 2006 Original Case: October 18, 2006 Norbert Ngoua Mezui, Nku’u Le Messager IMPRISONED Mezui, editor of the private, Libreville-based weekly, was provisionally released after serving a 21-day sentence for defamation. The sentence was suddenly implemented three years after it was handed down. This case has been marked by gross judicial irregularities, according…
CPJ writes to Rumsfeld over Iraq detention
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld: I am writing as chairman of the Committee to Protect Journalists to express the organization’s deep concern about the case of Bilal Hussein, a freelance photographer working for The Associated Press, who has been held without charge by the U.S. military for nearly seven months.
Two Iraqi channels ordered closed in aftermath of Saddam verdict
New York, November 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the Iraq Interior Ministry’s decision on Sunday to close two Sunni-owned satellite channels indefinitely. Security forces raided Al-Zawraa TV in Baghdad and Saleheddin TV in Tikrit on grounds they were inciting violence in the hours after former leader Saddam Hussein was sentenced to…
Three weeks after abduction, photographer released in Afghanistan
New York, November 3, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s release of Italian freelance photographer Gabriele Torsello three weeks after he was taken captive by gunmen in southern Afghanistan. The Italian government confirmed to news agencies Torsello’s release, which was first reported by PeaceReporter, a Web site that works closely with aid agencies in…
In China, Zhao Yan denied an open appeal hearing
New York, November 3, 2006—Court officials will not grant an open hearing in an appeal filed by New York Times researcher Zhao Yan, who is jailed on fraud charges, defense lawyer Guan Anping told CPJ. Guan said that the decision defied clear regulations allowing for open proceedings in criminal cases that do not involve state…
Government controls on news compromise vote in Tajikistan
New York, November 3, 2006—Repression of opposition and independent news media has compromised the fairness of Monday’s presidential election, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. President Imomali Rakhmonov seeks a third, seven-year term in the balloting. “We’re greatly concerned that Tajik authorities have deprived citizens of independent and diverse sources of news at a…
Seven Questions: Journalists Under Fire
Foreign Policy.com November 2006 Every day, journalists around the world risk their lives in the pursuit of truth. Three of them are Colombian photojournalist Jésus Abad Colorado, Yemeni journalist Jamal Amer, and Gambian editor Madi Ceesay. The Committee to Protect Journalists recently honored the trio with its International Press Freedom Award for working in the…