In the wake of murder, safety concerns arise
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by recent threats against the Congolese press freedom group Journaliste en Danger (JED) after the Kinshasa newspaper Le Soft reported findings from JED’s investigations into the November murder of journalist Franck Ngycke Kangundu and his wife, Hélène Mpaka. JED President Donat M’baya Tshimanga, who is quoted in Le Soft’s February 7 article, and JED Secretary-General Tshivis Tshivuadi went into hiding after receiving an anonymous threatening phone call. JED legal adviser Charles Mushizi also received a threatening phone call.
In Indonesia, Tempo editor cleared in criminal libel case
New York, February 10, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists praises the Indonesian Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to overturn the September 2004 criminal libel conviction of Tempo magazine’s top editor, Bambang Harymurti. The three-judge panel ruled unanimously that civil, and not criminal, laws should apply. Lower courts had applied criminal law to convict and sentence…
Belarusian election undermined by state abuses against media
Moscow, February 10, 2006—The Belarusian government’s persecution of the country’s few independent newspapers undermines the integrity of the March 19 presidential election in which Aleksandr Lukashenko seeks a third term, the Committee to Protect Journalists and two regional press freedom organizations said today. The groups called on the Russian Federation, the European Union, and the…
Court hits PEN with hefty tax bill, freezes its bank account
New York, February 10, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a Moscow court’s decision to impose hefty property taxes on the Russian branch of International PEN, an association of writers that promotes artistic exchange and defends free expression. The ruling against PEN comes against the backdrop of a government crackdown on nongovernmental organizations…
New rules limit foreign broadcasts
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to rescind four new broadcasting regulations that went into effect on Monday. As a nongovernmental organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, we are concerned that these regulations will limit foreign broadcasts in a way that will hamper the free flow of information necessary for Indonesia’s growing democracy. The new regulations confine broadcasts from international sources to shortwave radio and cable television networks, shutting off a large portion of Indonesia’s listeners and viewers from news sources outside of the country. Your government should be working to broaden the numerous voices of information available on the country’s 160 radio and television stations rather than reining them in.
Colombian reporter threatened, forced to flee
New York, February 9, 2006—A Colombian reporter was forced to flee the province of Caquetá after receiving death threats following her published interview with a guerrilla leader, the journalist said this week. Olga Cecilia Vega’s forced departure from the city of Florencia is the third case in 2006 in which a provincial Colombian journalist fled…
Yemeni, Malaysian newspapers closed after running prophet drawings
New York, February 9, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the closing of two Yemeni newspapers and a Malaysian paper after they published controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. At least four governments have now taken punitive action against newspapers or their editors for publishing some of the 12 cartoons that have sparked protests and…
Zimbabwean court: News’ license must be reconsidered
New York, February 9, 2006—Zimbabwe’s High Court ruled on Wednesday that the government-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) must reconsider its July 2005 decision to deny registration to the banned Daily News and its sister paper, the Daily News on Sunday. The decision raises the possibility that the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), the papers’…
A threat and a shooting raise concerns in provincial capital
New York, February 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is very concerned that two weekend incidents in the Colombian city of Montería, capital of Córdoba province, will reinforce self-censorship in a region where journalists already work in fear. An investigative newspaper reporter fled the city on Sunday after receiving death threats, while a radio host…
Action follows newspaper attack; Mexico to name special prosecutor for crimes against press
New York, February 8, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists applauds a Mexican official’s announcement today that the government will name a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against journalists. The move comes two days after gunmen stormed a newspaper office in the U.S.-Mexico border town of Nuevo Laredo, seriously wounding one reporter.