Cambodia: Government abolishes jail time for criminal defamation
New York, May 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Cambodia’s abolition of prison as punishment for libel, but urges Prime Minister Hun Sen to decriminalize defamation completely. On May 26, Cambodia’s lower house of parliament passed legislation eliminating penalties of eight days to one year in prison for defamation convictions. The amendments are expected…
In Pakistan, cameraman killed while covering tribal violence
New York, May 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing of Munir Ahmed Sangi, a cameraman for the Sindhi-language Kawish Television Network (KTN). Sangi was shot on Monday afternoon while covering a gunfight between members of the Unar and Abro tribes in the town of Larkana, in southeast Pakistan’s Sindh district, according to…
Two journalists charged with criminal libel
May 29, 2006 Posted: July 10, 2006 Jika Nkolokosa, Blantyre Newspapers Ltd. Maxwell Ng’ambi, Blantyre Newspapers Ltd. LEGAL ACTION Nkolokosa, general manager of the private media group Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL), and Ng’ambi, a reporter for BNL, were charged with criminal libel in connection with articles criticizing Malawi’s health minister. BNL publishes the Daily Times…
CPJ mourns deaths of two CBS journalists in IraqA third is seriously injured
New York, May 29, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the deaths today of CBS News cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan, killed when a car bomb exploded while they were on patrol in Baghdad with Iraqi and American soldiers. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier, the third member of the CBS crew, was seriously injured and…
On eve of sentencing, CPJ urges acquittal for jailed journalist
New York, May 26, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is issuing an urgent call for the acquittal of jailed journalist Patrice Booto, who awaits a verdict, expected Monday, on charges of publishing false information, offending the head of state, and “insulting the government.” The state prosecutor has asked a Kinshasa judge for a three-year jail…
Police summon Web site contributors
New York, May 26, 2006—Police in the Gambia on Monday summoned contributors and sources for the U.S.-based Web site Freedom Newspaper(http://www.freedomnewspaper.com). Local sources told the Committee to Protect Journalists today that at least one local journalist was detained in connection with the summonses, and that others may have been picked up by security forces. Calls…
State legislature calls for eviction of critical newspaper
New York, May 25, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that a request by a Venezuelan state assembly to evict the daily Correo del Caroní from its premises in a zoning dispute is an attempt to silence the newspaper’s critical reporting on local government corruption. The Bolívar state legislature said in a May 19…
In Egypt, journalists under fire as protests continue
New York, May 25, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by attacks on the Egyptian press related to coverage of alleged election fraud and protests over judicial independence. The Egyptian state security prosecutor brought criminal charges on Wednesday against three journalists who alleged fraud in last year’s parliamentary elections. Security and police officers…
Journalist assaulted by security forces
May 24, 2006 Posted: June 12, 2006 George D. Watkins, Radio Veritas ATTACKED Watkins, a journalist for the Catholic Church-owned Radio Veritas, was assaulted by State Security Services (SSS) agents while reporting on the SSS’s alleged enlistment of a former rebel commander, according to the independent daily The Analyst and the Press Union of Liberia.
Critical Web sites inaccessible in Ethiopia
New York, May 24, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by reports that Web sites critical of the government have been inaccessible in Ethiopia since late last week. Several blogs have reported that the authorities are blocking sites, although the information minister denied this. An Ethiopian blogger who goes by the alias Ethio-Zagol reported…