Journalist sentenced to prison for defamation
New York, February 6, 2006—The publication director of a private weekly newspaper was sentenced today to two months in prison for allegedly defaming a local businessman, according to two local journalist organizations. Ibrahim Manzo, director of L’Autre Observateur, was arrested and placed in “preventive detention” on Thursday; his trial lasted a single day. He is…
Rebuffed by Chinese Embassy, Cpj Publicizes Appeals Seeking Journalist’s Release Read Cpj’s Letter to the Chinese AmbassadorRebuffed by Chinese embassy, CPJ publicizes appeals seeking journalist’s release
New York, February 6, 2006—Officials at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., have refused to accept delivery of 443 signed appeals calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Shi Tao, a journalist unjustly imprisoned for “leaking state secrets.” The Committee to Protect Journalists, which organized the appeal campaign, today posted on its Web site…
China: Newspaper editor dies after police beating
New York, February 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death of colleague Wu Xianghu, deputy editor of Taizhou Wanbao. Wu died on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries in October 2005 when traffic police in the eastern coastal city of Taizhou, Zhejiang province, attacked him for an expose that embarrassed them, according to international…
Reporter beaten in North Ossetian capital
FEBRUARY 3, 2006 Olga Kiry, Channel One ATTACKED Kiry, a North Ossetia correspondent for the national television station Channel One, was beaten when reporting at a hospital in the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz. Kiry tried to report on the condition of patients hospitalized with serious injuries resulting from explosions at local gambling parlors the night…
Threats target reporter who exposed police abuses
Dear Governor de la Sota: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the safety of Argentine journalist Mariano Saravia, who has been threatened and harassed repeatedly since the publication of a book describing provincial police abuses.
In Guatemala, a welcome decision to strike down ‘disrespect’ laws
New York, February 3, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists praises a decision by Guatemala’s highest court to strike down laws that criminalized expressions deemed offensive to public officials. The court ruled that desacato, or disrespect, provisions were unconstitutional and constituted “an attack on freedom of expression and the right to be informed.” In a ruling…
Chechen comments lead to editor’s conviction for ‘inciting hatred’
New York, February 3, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the criminal conviction of Stanislav Dmitriyevsky, director of the human rights organization Russian-Chechen Friendship Society and editor of its newspaper Pravo-Zashchita. Today’s verdict is based on the newspaper’s publication of comments from Chechen rebel leaders calling for peace talks.
Journalist released after three days in custody
February 2, 2006 Original Alert: January 20, 2006 Sydney Saize IMPRISONED Sydney Saize, a former journalist for the banned independent Daily News, was released after spending three nights in police custody in the eastern town of Mutare. Police accused Saize of working without accreditation and filing a “false” story for the U.S. government-funded Voice of…
Algerian journalist jailed for criminal defamation
New York, February 2, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the imprisonment of an Algerian journalist for criminal defamation. Bachir Larabi of the independent daily El-Khabar was arrested on January 21 at his home in the southwestern town of El-Bayadh and jailed the following day, local journalists told CPJ. He was convicted in absentia on…