CPJ demands government account for “disappeared” journalists
New York, September 16, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists demanded today that Eritrea, the worst jailer of journalists in Africa, account for 15 journalists who have been held, some in secret prisons, since the government crushed private media and independent reporting four years ago this month. “Holding these journalists incommunicado without due process is a…
CHINA
SEPTEMBER 17, 2005 Posted October 11, 2005 Henan Shang Bao CENSORED Henan Shang Bao (Henan Business News) was suspended for a month from September 17 for “inaccurate reporting” on orders of the General Administration of Press and Publications and the Central Propaganda Department, according to the Singapore-based Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao. A reporter and an…
IRAQ
SEPTEMBER 17, 2005 Posted October 17, 2005 Hind Ismail, As-Saffir KILLED—CONFIRMED On September 16, 2005, Hind Ismail, a 28-year-old reporter for the local daily As-Saffir, was kidnapped in the northern city of Mosul, local journalists told CPJ. Police in the southern suburb of al-Muthana found her body the next morning with a single bullet wound…
15 Journalists imprisoned in Eritrea
15 Journalists imprisoned in Eritrea Zemenfes Haile, Tsigenay Imprisoned: January 1999 Sometime in early 1999, Haile, founder and manager of the private weekly Tsigenay, was detained by Eritrean authorities and sent to Zara Labor Camp in the country’s lowland desert. Authorities accused Haile of failing to complete the National Service Program, but sources told CPJ…
Mass arrest of journalists protesting media curbs
New York, September 16, 2005—Police detained more than 80 journalists today in Kathmandu ahead of a planned protest against restrictions on the media. The journalists had gathered in the capital’s Ratna Park area, where rallies are banned. The journalists were held for about four hours and released. “The authorities should not prevent protests by journalists…
IRAQ
SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 Posted October 18, 2005 Majed Hameed, Al-Arabiya and Reuters IMPRISONED Hameed, a reporter working with the Dubai-based broadcaster Al-Arabiya who also freelanced for Reuters, was arrested along with several other men at a gathering after the funeral of a relative on September 15 in Anbar province.
Journalist among three seized by unknown attackers
New York, September 15, 2005—Unknown assailants seized a journalist, a cameraman, and a government employee in Nuristan province, near the border with Pakistan on Wednesday, local media reported. The kidnappers have made no contact with authorities, and no motive for the attack is known. A spokesman for the governor of Nuristan was quoted as saying…
Mexico’s Fox to seek special prosecutor to fight crimes against free expression
New York, September 15, 2005—Mexican President Vicente Fox said today he will ask his nation’s attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against free expression, a commitment made after a series of deadly attacks against journalists in Mexico’s northern states. Meeting with a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists at the…
Journalist held after criticizing traditional court judges
New York, September 15, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the arrest of Jean Léonard Rugambage, a reporter for the twice-monthly newspaper Umuco who accused judges of a traditional court in Rwanda of corruption. Rugambage has been held without charge since his arrest on September 7 in the central town of Gitarama. He has…