Foreign Ministry summons U.S. diplomat after ABC report
New York, July 29, 2005—The Russian Foreign Ministry today issued a formal complaint to a U.S. diplomat, a day after the ABC News program “Nightline” aired an interview with Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, according to international news reports. Already this year, Russian authorities have pressured both Britain and Sweden after independent media in those…
Journalist sentenced to two years in prison
New York, July 29, 2005—A judge in northern Tajikistan yesterday sentenced independent journalist Jumaboy Tolibov to two years in a prison colony on charges of hooliganism, illegally entering a residence, and abusing his office as a local government administrator, according to local and international reports. The defense intends to appeal the verdict. Nuriddin Karshiboyev, head…
State broadcaster told to stop opposition coverage
New York, July 28, 2005—A group of armed, uniformed soldiers yesterday stormed the Abidjan offices of state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI) and instructed directors not to broadcast footage of opposition members, according to CPJ sources and local news reports. The soldiers identified themselves as members of the Republican Guard but refused to give their…
Company seeks massive damages in defamation cases
Bangkok, Thailand, July 28, 2005—A Thai company with ties to a former government official has filed criminal defamation complaints seeking massive damages from two daily newspapers owned by the Matichon media company. The Committee to Protect Journalists said today it is deeply concerned about the cases, part of a troubling trend toward litigation against the…
Steiger, Brokaw visit Miller in prison, present message from CPJ
Alexandria, Va., July 28, 2005—A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists met with jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller in the Alexandria Detention Center tonight to deliver a message of support and call for an immediate end to her imprisonment. Paul Steiger, CPJ chairman and Wall Street Journal managing editor, headed the delegation,…
IVORY COAST
JULY 26, 2005 Posted: July 28, 2005 José Stéphane Koudou, Le Jour Plus ATTACKED Supporters of the ruling Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI) party brutally assaulted Koudou, a political reporter for the private daily Le Jour Plus, according to local sources. The attack occurred as Koudou was reporting on a press conference planned by the youth…
BRAZIL
JULY 28, 2005 Posted August 30, 2005 Ancelmo Gois, O Globo LEGAL ACTION Gois, a well-known columnist with the Rio de Janeiro daily O Globo, faced prosecution after his column revealed a dispute between two local judges.In a February 27, 2004 column titled “Clash of Titans,” Gois wrote that Judge Francisco José de Asevedo had…