Journalist abducted, threatened by military officers
New York, February 3, 2005—Akrep Hasanov, an Azerbaijani journalist with the independent weekly Monitor in the capital, Baku, was abducted by military officers and held in detention for five hours, Hasanov told CPJ. The journalist says he was detained in retaliation for writing an article about abuses and mismanagement in an Azerbaijani military unit. On…
King and army shut down independent press
New York, February 3, 2005—Two days after Nepal’s king declared a state of emergency, the independent press has been effectively shut down with blanket news bans introduced, military patrols placed at media outlets, and reprisals threatened against journalists. King Gyanendra has imposed a six-month ban on what state radio described as critical reporting on government…
AZERBAIJAN
FEBRUARY 2, 2005 Posted: February 4, 2005 Akrep Hasanov, Monitor HARASSED, THREATENED Hasanov, an Azerbaijani journalist with the independent weekly Monitor in the capital, Baku, was abducted by military officers and held in detention for five hours, Hasanov told CPJ. The journalist says he was detained in retaliation for writing an article about abuses and…
Journalist jailed in defamation case; CPJ seeks release
New York, February 2, 2005—-A reporter with the Congolese private daily La Référence Plus was taken into custody on Monday and imprisoned in the western town of Matadi on defamation charges brought by two national oil executives. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for his immediate release. In September, a Kinshasa court sentenced José…
CPJ deeply concerned about journalists’ safety, censorship
New York, February 2, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the safety of Nepalese journalists and the censorship of the press following King Gyanendra’s dismissal this week of Nepal’s multi-party government and his declaration of a state of emergency. “The suspension of civil liberties is a worrisome sign for all citizens, including…
Gunmen kill key witness in Damalerio murder case
New York, February 2, 2005—A key witness in the 2002 murder of Philippine journalist Edgar Damalerio was killed by gunmen in the city of Pagadian this morning—the second witness to be slain while the suspect, a former police officer, awaits trial. Edgar Amoro—who identified former officer Guillermo Wapile as Damalerio’s killer— was gunned down outside…
Journalist to be prosecuted in case of leaked documents
New York, February 2, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned about the prosecution of journalist Patricia Poleo on charges of illegally obtaining and disclosing sealed case documents and violating anticorruption legislation. The Attorney General’s Office announced Monday that Poleo would be prosecuted for publicizing confidential information in the investigation into the November 2004…
ZIMBABWE
FEBRUARY 2005 Posted: March 14, 2005 Cornelius Nduna, freelance THREATENED In early February, police began searching for Nduna, a freelance television producer and reporter who worked for several foreign media organizations, on suspicion of possessing “sensitive tapes” passed to him by an employee of the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, according to his lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa.