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Alerts - 2005 - July-September

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Philippines

Damalerio murder trial nears end

(CMFR/IFEX) - Barely two months after the trial of the suspected killer of journalist Edgar Damalerio restarted, a no-show by the accused underscored the last day of hearings on 25 August 2005 in Cebu City, the southern Philippines's largest city.

Philippines

Charges against suspects in Esperat killing dismissed

(CMFR/IFEX) - Citing the conflicting resolutions of prosecutors in the case, a local court recently dismissed the murder charges filed against the two alleged masterminds in the killing of columnist Marlene Esperat. Esperat was killed on 24 March 2005.

Thailand

Senate's appointment of questionable broadcast regulators could stall reform, SEAPA warns

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Senate's appointment of the long-awaited National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) could create another legal stumbling block to a reform process aimed at ending state control over the broadcasting industry, SEAPA has warned.

China

RSF releases report on Xinhua News Agency's role in Communist Party's propaganda and censorship system

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

Philippines

Police file murder charges against suspects in Morales killing

(CMFR/IFEX) - In what could be a ray of hope in the murder of radio commentator Rolando Morales, local police said they were about to finally serve arrest warrants and file charges against the suspects. The commentator was killed on 3 July 2005 in General Santos City, around 850 kilometres south of Manila.

United States

Journalist Judith Miller released; CPJ relieved, but troubled by message in case

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Australia

IFJ concerned that anti-terror laws threaten press freedom

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Iraq / United States

U.S. military to address concerns for safety of Iraqi journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 29 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Philippines

Suspect in Cantoneros killing arrested

(CMFR/IFEX) - After a four-month wait, the police finally gained headway in the 3 May 2005 killing of commentator Klein Cantoneros, with the recent arrest of a suspect in Ozamiz City, about 830 kilometres south of Manila.

Belarus

IFJ condemns attempt to close local independent daily

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Mexico

RSF expresses concern about Noticias situation in open letter to Oaxaca state governor

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 29 September 2005 RSF press release:

Peru

WPFC calls for annulment of journalist's sentence

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 29 September 2005 WPFC letter to Justice Juan Luis Rodríguez Romero:

Mexico

IAPA protests impunity in journalist's murder

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 28 September 2005 IAPA press release:

Niger

Journalist given jail sentence for reporting on corruption in famine aid distribution

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Russia

Kremlin official pulls out of press freedom meeting

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a WAN press release:

Iraq / United States

CAPSULE REPORT: Iraqi journalists routinely jailed by U.S. forces; CPJ expresses "grave concern" in letter to Rumsfeld

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 September 2005 CPJ press release and letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld:

Philippines

Two television journalists harassed and detained briefly by teachers

(CMFR/IFEX) - Two local television journalists were detained by eight public school teachers on 23 September 2005 in San Fernando City, less than 90 kilometres north of Manila.

Nepal

Government steps up pressure on independent media

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned a series of recent measures by King Gyanendra's government that discriminate against the independent press, especially new directives determining how state advertising will be allocated to the media.

Peru

Court overturns acquittal of journalist

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 2 September 2005, the First Criminal Tribunal of the Lima High Court (Primera Sala Penal para Procesos con Reos Libres) overturned a previous ruling that had acquitted journalist Pedro Salinas Chacaltana of defamation charges. Jorge Mufarech Nemy, a member of Congress for the ruling party, filed a complaint for defamation against the journalist in January 2004. The congressman is seeking a three-year prison for Salinas and payment of US$1 million in damages.

Kenya

Journalist arrested, expected to be charged with "incitement"

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called for the immediate release of David Ochami, of the opposition daily "Kenya Times", and voiced astonishment at the egregious methods used by the Kenyan authorities to arrest him on a charge of "incitement" for writing a column criticising the president.

Russia

Journalist released after serving criminal libel sentence

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Poland

IPI worried about recent civil legal actions against the media

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Aleksander Kwasniewski:

Belgium

Three Moroccan journalists assaulted

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a joint press release by the IFJ and the Association Générale des Journalistes Professionnels de Belgique (AGJPB):

Iraq

Al Arabiya reporter detained without charge; secret tribunal finds cameraman to be "threat to coalition forces"

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 September 2005 IFJ media release:

Indonesia

Missing journalist case should be priority, CPJ urges

(CPJ/IFEX) - In a 27 September 2005 letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, CPJ urged him to help jumpstart the stalled police investigation into the disappearance of Elyuddin Telaumbanua, a journalist with the daily "Berita Sore" who was reported missing on the island of Nias off the northwestern coast of Sumatra on 22 August.

Kazakhstan

As vote nears, six papers blocked from publishing

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 September 2005 CPJ press release:

China

Authorities tighten restrictions for bloggers and website managers

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 26 September 2005 RSF press release:

China

Newspaper suspended after exposing mining accident cover-up

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Somalia

Radio journalist jailed for reports on Puntland prison

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Maldives

Journalist on trial amid continuing crackdown on press

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has appealed for clemency as a court in the Maldives prepares to hand down its verdict and sentences in the trial of journalist Jennifer Latheef and five other defendants on "terrorism" charges. Jail terms would be a clear sign that President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is breaking his promises about democracy, the organisation said.

Chad

Radio director arrested, threatened with expulsion; three journalists released

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 26 September 2005 CPJ press release:

International

Global Transparency Initiative launches final consultation on draft Transparency Charter

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a press release of the Global Transparency Initiative, of which ARTICLE 19 is a member:

Azerbaijan

Four journalists assaulted by police while covering opposition demonstration in Baku

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has urged Interior Minister Ramil Usubov to do his utmost to protect journalists in the run-up to legislative elections after police assaulted four journalists at a banned opposition demonstration on 25 September 2005.

Lebanon

CPJ outraged at attempted murder of news anchor; another journalist escapes assassination attempt

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 26 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Venezuela

Presidential guard forces reporter to delete photographs

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 19 September 2005, members of the presidential guard forced photographer César Palacios of the Carriles Network to delete a number of photographs. Palacios had photographed the security force as they were assaulting a group of President Hugo Chávez's supporters who had crossed the security perimeter in order to get closer to the president. The incident occurred during Chávez's visit to the National Mausoleum, where the remains of the country's independence heroes are kept.

Cuba

Independent news agency editor beaten by armed pro-government supporters

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced deep shock at the public beating which armed pro-government supporters gave Guillermo Fariñas, editor of the independent Cubanacán Press agency, in the central city of Santa Clara on 16 September 2005 after he took part in a protest against the arrest of a dissident.

Philippines

Motive unclear in murder of Pampanga broadcaster

(CMFR/IFEX) - The following is a 26 September 2005 CMFR statement:

International

RSF presents handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 22 September 2005 RSF press release:

International

Civil rights lawyer chosen for new free expression award

(CJFE/IFEX) - The following is a 23 September 2005 CJFE press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Two journalists with public broadcaster in Kisangani suspended for references to teachers' strike

(JED/IFEX) - On 17 September 2005, Luckson Kabala and Mayumba Mayiribu, journalists at the Congolese National Radio-Television (Radiotélévision nationale congolaise, RTNC) station in Kisangani, Eastern Province (in the country's northeast), were suspended indefinitely by William Betua, RTNC/Kisangani's provincial director, on orders of the provincial governor, Hubert Molisho.

Singapore

Police investigation of filmmaker intensifies; SEAPA urges authorities to end probe and repeal Films Act

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA is seriously concerned over deepening police investigations into the work and causes of Singaporean filmmaker Martyn See, and urges free expression advocates worldwide to condemn this latest harassment of a citizen for the "crime" of having spoken his mind. At the same time, SEAPA said the case of Martyn See highlights the harshness of Singaporean state practices and laws in stifling free expression.

Lebanon

Prominent television journalist seriously wounded in bomb blast

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Spain

Al Jazeera reporter gets seven-year jail term

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Bangladesh

Journalists targeted after parliamentarian calls for violence against them

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage over the recent assaults on several journalists after a member of parliament from the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Shahidul Alam Talukder, made a hate-filled speech against the press in which he called for violence against them.

Peru

Journalist sentenced to one year in prison for defamation

(IPYS/IFEX) - On July 15 2005, Mabel Cáceres Calderón, editor of "El Búho" weekly in the region of Arequipa, was sentenced to a year in prison after being accused of defamation by Miguel Sierra Lopez, attorney to Rolando Cornejo Cuervo, chancellor of the University of San Agustin (UNSA). The sentence is to be reviewed by the First Criminal Division of Arequipa's Superior Court, which will make its verdict known by the end of the month.

Colombia

President intervenes in case of death threats against three journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern about death threats against radio RCN news director Juan Gossaín, "Cambio" magazine editor Mauricio Vargas and W de Radio Caracol news director Julio Sánchez Cristo. The threats prompted President Alvaro Uribe to contact each of the journalists in turn to offer them special protection.

Malawi

Radio station challenges law impeding media freedom

(MISA/IFEX) - On 20 September 2005, Capital Radio Malawi launched a test case which challenges one of the laws impeding media freedom in the country, the Protected Emblems and Names Act of 1967.

Nepal

Reporter released; IFJ concerned for journalists in Dailekh district

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Ukraine

Inquiry names Kuchma as mastermind in Gongadze murder

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Uzbekistan

Appeals court upholds journalist's conviction, second journalist flees the country as crackdown on media continues

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Tunisia

Journalist Hamadi Jebali wages second hunger strike in five months

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Afghanistan

Two journalists escape from kidnappers

(RSF/IFEX) - Journalists Mohammed Taqi Seraj and Baseer Seerat, as well as civil servant Shah Jan, are free after being held for six days in the northeastern region of Nuristan by abductors who were believed to be followers of local warlords.

South Africa

Government demands newspaper hand over records on "Oilgate" story

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is an FXI press release:

Cuba

Imprisoned journalist on hunger strike

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

China

Cyber-journalist sentenced to seven-year prison term

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Nigeria

Prison staff beat up two journalists covering trial, prevent others from covering riot

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the obstruction and violence by employees of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) towards journalists trying to cover a trial and a prison riot in separate incidents on 21 and 20 September 2005. "It is disturbing to see the press being prevented from doing its work," the organisation said.

Pakistan

Army personnel charged for torturing photojournalist

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 September 2005 IFJ media release:

Iraq

Al-Iraqiya engineer killed in Mosul

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Russia

European Court to hear Russian murder case

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Swaziland

Prime Minister threatens to "monitor" press

(MISA/IFEX) - On 16 September 2005, Prime Minister Absalom Themba Dlamini accused the media of sensationalism and false reporting, sounding a warning that the government would be forced to "monitor" the press if it did not desist from such practices.

Colombia

Cúcuta police impede photojournalist's work

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 20 September 2005, police intimidated Carlos Patiño, a photojournalist with the Cúcuta daily "La Opinión", and prevented him from taking photographs for a news story.

International

Slovenian journalist wins 2005 Dr. Erhard Busek-SEEMO Award

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 21 September 2005 press release by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

Vietnam

Cyber-dissident Nguyen Vu Binh still refuses "self-criticism" after three years in jail

(RSF/IFEX) - Nguyen Vu Binh, who begins his fourth year in prison on 25 September 2005, is still refusing to cave in to pressure from his jailers by writing a "self-criticism", as demanded by the authorities.

Sri Lanka

Filmmakers accused of promoting terrorism

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM press release:

Swaziland

High Court rules against newspaper in defamation case

(MISA/IFEX) - On 19 August 2005, the "Times of Swaziland Sunday" was interdicted from publishing a story which was found to be defamatory by the High Court. The newspaper has appealed the ruling.

Iraq

Iraqi editor slain in Mosul marks third journalist killed in four days

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

France / Israel

Investigation into Bourget shooting reactivated; RSF gets civil party status in case

(RSF/IFEX) - Amid French judicial moves to reactivate an investigation into the near-fatal shooting of "Paris Match" reporter Jacques-Marie Bourget on 21 October 2000 in Ramallah, on the West Bank, RSF reported that it has been granted civil party status in the case before a high-level court in Paris.

Tunisia

International day of action for the release of Mohamed Abbou

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

Peru

Journalist pressured to reveal source

(IPYS/IFEX) - Richard Enciso Sánchez, a journalist working for Radio Ancash in the northern department of Ancash, has received three anonymous threatening phone calls since 17 September 2005, demanding that he reveal the name of a policeman he interviewed on 16 September.

Swaziland

Journalist investigating corruption threatened

(MISA/IFEX) - Alec Lushaba, a senior journalist with the "Swazi Observer" newspaper, has been the victim of continued threats and intimidation as a result of his ongoing investigation and series of articles about a top lawyer's involvement in a corruption scandal.

Azerbaijan

News agency accused of disinformation after reporting Gallup's denial of poll favourable to president

(RSF/IFEX) - Azeri authorities have accused the privately-owned news agency Turan of disinformation over a 9 September 2005 report in which Gallup denied carrying out a poll showing high popularity ratings for President Ilham Aliyev.

China

WiPC concerned about health of imprisoned writer on hunger strike

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is seriously concerned for the well-being of writer Zhang Lin, who has been on hunger strike since 4 September 2005 to protest his sentence and harsh treatment in prison. He has reportedly been hospitalised and believed to be very weak. Zhang was sentenced to five years in prison on 28 July for his dissident writings.

Thailand

Media giant retreats from bid to take over publisher

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 16 September 2005, the Thai entertainment and media giant GMM Grammy Group retreated from its bid to take over a leading publisher, Matichon Plc, following unprecedented resistance driven by fears the bid would undermine media independence.

Brazil

State governor threatens journalist

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has denounced the threats by Tocantins State Governor Marcelo Miranda against Sandra Miranda de Oliveira Silva, editorialist and owner of the weekly "Primeira Pagina", which has published reports on corruption in the governor's administration.

International

CJFE honours Gambia, Ukraine journalists with press freedom awards

(CJFE/IFEX) - The following is a CJFE press release:

Indonesia

IFJ urges authorities to keep up inquiry into missing reporter

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Three independent newspapers suspended for three months

(JED/IFEX) - The following is an abridged JED press release:

Tanzania

Press organisations, journalists and human rights group reject home affairs minister's apology for assault

(MISA/IFEX) - Home Affairs Minister Omar Ramadhani Mapuri has offered a public apology and retracted a 16 September 2005 statement in which he declared lawful the conduct of prison warders and prisoners accused of violating the human rights of a journalist and civilians.

Côte d'Ivoire

Family of Guy-André Kieffer appeals to Ivorian people for information on missing journalist

(RSF/IFEX) - In an open letter published on 14 September 2005, the family of missing journalist Guy-André Kieffer presented an "appeal to all Ivorian citizens of goodwill." Kieffer, a journalist with dual French and Canadian citizenship, went missing in Côte d'Ivoire more than 500 days ago. Bernard Kieffer, the journalist's brother, has urged all Ivorians who may have information about the missing journalist to contact the family.

Russia

WAN protests denial of Swedish journalist's accreditation extension

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a WAN letter to Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov:

Poland

IPI concerned at treatment of "Rzeczpospolita" editor-in-chief

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Aleksander Kwasniewski:

Rwanda

Police confiscate opposition fortnightly, editor detained for seven hours

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern about the Rwandan government's continuing crackdown on the opposition press after police seized issues of the latest edition of the fortnightly "Umuco" and detained its editor, Bonaventure Bizumuremyi, for seven hours on 19 September 2005.

China

"New York Times" researcher Zhao Yan marks one year in custody

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has strongly condemned the continued detention of the "New York Times" Chinese researcher, Zhao Yan, who has been held in custody by state security since his arrest on 17 September 2004.

Kazakhstan

Assailants break into journalist's home

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 14 September 2005, unidentified individuals broke into the home of popular journalist Alexei Goncharov in the city of Shymkent, southern Kazakhstan, forcing the door of his flat open.

Eritrea

CPJ demands government account for "disappeared" journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Kazakhstan

"Respublika" newspaper and its successors prevented from publishing

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 14 September 2005, Adil Soz reported that the Kazakh authorities have prevented the popular opposition newspaper "Respublika Delovoye Obozreniye" and its successors from being published.

Iraq

Reporter kidnapped in Mosul, found dead the next day

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Nepal

Reporter arrested, 15 others flee

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Sierra Leone

Traditional chiefs threaten and humiliate radio journalist

(RSF/IFEX) - Reacting to the intimidation and humiliation of a radio journalist by tribal elders in Kakua, the capital of the southern district of Bo, RSF has urged the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to uphold the rule of law and remind traditional chiefs that the country is meant to be reconstructing along democratic lines.

Turkey

International PEN calls for an end to publisher Ragip Zarakolu's trials

(WiPC/IFEX) - Members of International PEN, the world association of writers, are protesting the decision to take to court one of Turkey's most well-known writers, Orhan Pamuk, for comments seen to be "insulting" to the Turkish state. His trial is due to open in mid-December (see IFEX alerts of 2 September and 6 April 2005). This move has been widely condemned internationally. At the same time other writers and journalists are on trial for commentary also seen to be insulting to the Turkish state, its officials and institutions. Most well known of these is the publisher Ragip Zarakolu, who has rarely been out of the courts because of his publications since the late 1970s.

Iraq

Journalist shot dead in Basra, 68th killed since start of war

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage at the murder of Fakher Haydar Al-Tamimi, an Iraqi journalist who worked for several foreign media outlets including "The New York Times". He was kidnapped and then shot in the head on 19 September 2005 in the southern city of Basra.

China

Contract finally signed for NTDTV's long-term use of Eutelsat satellite

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has hailed the accord signed on 1 September 2005 granting the independent Chinese-language broadcaster New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) long-term use of a Eutelsat satellite, which will allow it to continue broadcasting to Asia and, in particular, China.

Mexico

President Fox to seek special prosecutor to fight crimes against free expression

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Pakistan

Editor of banned Islamist weekly released on bail

(RSF/IFEX) - Mohammed Tahir, editor of the Islamist weekly "Wajood", was freed on bail on 9 September 2005 by the Supreme Court of Sindh province. He was on arrested on 19 July and placed in custody under Article 153 of the Pakistani Criminal Code for publishing excerpts of a book deemed to be an incitement to religious hatred.

Nepal

Eighty-seven journalists arrested and a dozen injured in Kathmandu

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the mass arrest of 87 journalists who were demonstrating in Kathmandu for the restoration of press freedom on 16 September 2005.

Tanzania

Police committee to investigate beating of journalist, human rights activist and civilians

(MISA/IFEX) - The Tanzania police force has formed a six-person committee to investigate the beating of a journalist, a human rights activist and civilians by Ukonga prison guards in Dar es salaam on 10 September 2005.

Serbia / Montenegro

President of Vranje municipal council continues to threaten and harass radio station staff

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is an ANEM statement:

Iraq / United States

CPJ study shows U.S. military consistently fails to probe journalist killings

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Afghanistan

Journalists' rights must be respected during the election campaign, says IFJ

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 September 2005 IFJ media release:

Thailand

Political talk show removed from Channel 9 television

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 15 September 2005, a live political talk show known for its sharp criticism of the government was removed from Channel 9 television for allegedly improper contents, including certain references to the monarchy.

Vietnam

Dissident Internet writer Nguyen Hong Quang released

(WiPC/IFEX) - The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN welcomes the release of pastor, lawyer and dissident Internet writer Nguyen Hong Quang, who was amnestied on 2 September 2005. He was arrested on 8 June 2004 and sentenced to three years in prison for his dissident activities.

Afghanistan

Journalist and cameraman abducted by unknown attackers

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Brazil

Photojournalist's car damaged by vandals

(IPYS/IFEX) - Early in the morning on 5 September 2005, vandals damaged photojournalist Leandro Nunes's car, breaking the windows and leaving a note that said "I've got you". Nunes works for "Jornal de Rondônia" newspaper. His car had been parked inside the garage at his home, in the city of Ji-Paraná, Rondonia state.

Niger

Editor faces four-month prison term for criticising local governor

(MFWA/IFEX) - Abdoulaye Harouna, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly newspaper, "Echos Express", faces a four-month jail term and a 10 million CFA franc (approx. US$19,000) fine for damages following a series of articles published on Agadez Governor Yahaya Yadanka. Agadez is about 1,000 km from the capital, Niamey.

Peru

Journalist threatened in Loreto region

(IPYS/IFEX) - During the night of 8 September 2005, Rodolfo Lobo Tello, director of Radio Feroz station in Contamana, was threatened while at home by an unknown individual who accused him of having broadcast damaging information about him. Contamana is the capital of Ucayali province, in Loreto region, eastern Peru.

Zambia

"Monitor" editor summoned by Defence Ministry, fears possible arrest

(MISA/IFEX) - On 15 September 2005, the editor of "Monitor" newspaper, Whitney Mulobela, received a letter from the Ministry of Defence requesting a meeting with him over an article published in the 12 to 15 August edition of the bi-weekly tabloid.

South Africa

Telkom harassment of communications activists a violation of freedom of expression, says FXI

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is a 14 September 2005 FXI press release:

Peru

Journalist receives death threats

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 7 September 2005, Julia Saldaña Eguren, a journalist with the "La República" group of newspapers, reported having received several death threats since August. The anonymous warnings are sent as text messages to her father's mobile phone. The journalist is based in the city of Iquitos, Loreto region, eastern Peru.

Kyrgyzstan

Journalist attacked by unknown men after receiving death threats

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a joint Trade Union for Journalists in Kyrgzystan and Adil Soz alert:

Serbia / Montenegro

Correspondent for Belgrade daily attacked

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a letter by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

Thailand

SEAPA concerned over Thaksin ally's buy into "Bangkok Post", "Matichon"

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 14 September 2005 SEAPA statement:

Indonesia

Newspaper loses appeal in defamation case

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Tanzania

Photographer, human-rights activist and civilians assaulted during eviction

(MISA/IFEX) - On 10 September 2005, Mpoki Bukuku, chief photographer for the "Sunday Citizen" newspaper, and Christopher Kidanka, information officer for the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHC), were brutally beaten by a group of prison guards in Ukonga, in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam. The prison guards also brutalised innocent civilians and severely injured some of them.

United Kingdom

Security Council resolution would give governments a pretext to suppress peaceful expression, says Human Rights Watch

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a 13 September 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Nepal

More than 55 journalists arrested and beaten at pro-democracy demonstrations since beginning of September

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has protested the Nepalese security forces' actions since the beginning of September, during which they have beaten and arrested at least 55 journalists who were reporting on or participating in pro-democracy demonstrations.

Iran

Journalist Massoud Bastani back in prison after a week of freedom, held with ordinary detainees

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called for the immediate release of journalist Massoud Bastani, who was re-imprisoned a week after his 6 August 2005 release from Evin prison in Tehran and is now being held in Arak prison in central Iran, which is normally used for non-political prisoners.

Rwanda

Journalist imprisoned for criticising popular tribunals

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the arrest of Jean Léonard Rugambage, of the fortnightly "Umuco", on 7 September, 10 days after he wrote an article accusing certain popular tribunal judges in the district of Ruyamba of corruption.

Ukraine

Gongadze's killers still roam free, say journalists

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Syria

Cyber-dissident Abdel Rahman Shagouri released from prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Cyber-dissident Abdel Rahman Shagouri was released from jail on 31 August 2005, one week after completing his sentence for "publishing lies". RSF had condemned his conviction as "utterly unjustified."

Maldives

WiPC seriously concerned about health of detained Internet writer Ahmed Didi

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN welcomes the release of Internet writer Mohamed Zaki, who was unconditionally released on 18 August 2005. However, PEN remains seriously concerned about the continued detention of fellow writer Ahmed Ibrahim Didi, who is serving a fifteen-year sentence for writing articles for "Sandhaanu", an Internet publication critical of the authorities. Didi and Zaki were detained in early 2002 with Ibrahim Moosa Luthfee, now in exile, and Fathimath Nisreen, who was amnestied on 9 May 2005. All were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their involvement with "Sandhaanu".

Rwanda

Belgian priest who edited magazine faces death penalty for alleged role in genocide

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced shock and dismay that one of Rwanda's people's courts (known as gacaca) has classified Father Guy Theunis, a Belgian missionary and former editor of the Rwandan magazine "Dialogue", as a "category-one" genocide suspect and ordered him held in Kigali prison pending trial by an ordinary court.

Kyrgyzstan

Editor-in-chief of "Zhany muun" newspaper attacked

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a joint statement by Adil Soz and the Trade Union for Journalists in Kyrgyzstan:

Cambodia

Journalist assaulted by military officer

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Uzbekistan

Court orders closure of media training organisation's Tashkent office

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Colombia

CAPSULE REPORT: Joint mission highlights dangers for journalists working in Valle del Cauca

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 joint capsule report by RSF, FLIP, IPYS, IFJ and CPJ:

Cuba

Journalist Oscar Mario González Pérez still awaiting trial more than 50 days after arrest

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced great concern about the plight of journalist Oscar Mario González Pérez of the Grupo de Trabajo Decoro independent news agency, who is still awaiting trial more than 50 days after his arrest on 22 July 2005 in Havana.

Colombia

INFORME CÁPSULA: Informe de la FLIP sobre el periodismo en Barranquilla

(FLIP/IFEX) - Lo que sigue es un informe de la FLIP:

Iraq

Associated Press cameraman shot and seriously wounded by Iraqi soldiers

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on the Iraqi army to explain at once why its soldiers shot and seriously wounded Associated Press Television News (APTN) cameraman Abdul Kamil Hassan on 7 September 2005. The organisation accused "those responsible for restoring order in Iraq - the Iraqi army and police and US troops" of becoming "serious persecutors" of journalists in recent months.

Bangladesh

Islamic militants behind death threats to journalists in Satkhira

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 September 2005 CPJ press release:

India

Chhattisgarh state security ordinance could put journalists in prison for covering Maoist rebellion

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced deep concern at the likely damage to press freedom from a ban on Maoist groups adopted by the state government in Chhattisgarh, central India, under which journalists could be jailed for up to three years for covering their rebellion.

Egypt

CIHRS releases second report on media coverage of presidential elections

(CIHRS/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 CIHRS press release:

Chad

Journalist granted provisional release; three others remain jailed

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Brazil

Arsonists torch daily newspaper and two radio stations

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF said it was outraged by an 8 September 2005 arson attack by three hooded gunmen that gutted most of a building housing the "Diário de Marília" daily newspaper and two radio stations, Diário FM and Dirceu AM, in Marília, in the southeastern state of São Paulo.

Afghanistan

Kidnapped journalist now in authorities' custody; IFJ reports death threats, beatings of other journalists by authorities

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

South Africa

FXI welcomes dropping of Telkom's case against "Hellkom"

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 FXI press release:

Sri Lanka

Journalists assaulted

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an 8 September 2005 FMM press release:

Maldives

Writer and leading opposition politician Mohamed Nasheed charged with "terrorism" and "sedition"

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN has protested the decision to charge opposition politician and writer Mohamed Nasheed with terrorism and sedition for "inciting violence against the president" in a speech he made in July. Nasheed was among several members of a newly established opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), arrested on 12 August 2005 during a peaceful protest in Malé.

Nepal

IFJ calls for Maoist cease-fire to extend to journalists

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 IFJ media release:

Iraq / United States

US army admits firing on Reuters crew

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called for immediate sanctions against the US soldiers who fired on a Reuters television crew after US army spokesman Gen. Rick Lynch acknowledged on 1 September 2005 that American troops did indeed fire the shots that killed soundman Waleed Khaled and injured cameraman Haider Kadhem on 28 August.

Liberia

Editor attacked by oil-company executive

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 6 September 2005, Othello Garblah, news editor of the independent weekly "New Democrat", was assaulted at the Ministry of Justice for attempting to take a photograph of Edwin Snowe, managing director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC). Garblah, who was attacked on the orders of Snowe, was slightly injured.

Singapore

Activist files complaint against broadcaster to challenge censorship law

(SEAPA/IFEX) - A Singaporean activist has filed a police complaint against national broadcaster MediaCorp for allegedly violating the country's Films Act in a move aimed at challenging the island's censorship law, news reports say.

Thailand

Former "Bangkok Post" editor sees Thai government hand in his dismissal

(SEAPA/IFEX) - A senior editor who was sacked by the "Bangkok Post" newspaper over a flawed report about alleged cracks in the runway of Thailand's new international airport, said his dismissal was a result of the government's interference in the newspaper's editorial policy, an act he says can threaten the independence of the entire Thai press.

United States / China

Information supplied by Yahoo! used to sentence journalist Shi Tao to 10 years in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - The text of the verdict in the case of journalist Shi Tao - sentenced in April 2005 to 10 years in prison for "divulging state secrets abroad" - shows that Yahoo! Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd. provided China's state security authorities with details that helped to identify and convict him.

Peru

Journalist assaulted by government officials

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the afternoon of 5 September 2005, Radio Huancavelica reporter Fidel Ilario Huamaní was assaulted by three individuals as he was walking home in Huancavelica, central Peru. Ilario identified two of the assailants as Daniel Huaro and Edgar Chávez, employees of the Huancavelica Regional Health Department (Dirección Regional de Salud, DIRESA). The assailants referred to Ilario's reporting, one month earlier, on DIRESA's mismanagement. The allegations led to the eventual dismissal of the institution's director, Fidel Miranda Medina.

Colombia

FARC guerrillas blow up radio transmission towers in Cauca

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 5 September 2005, members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) used dynamite to blow up the transmission towers of the Caracol radio station and the Colmundo radio network. The towers were located in Usenda, Silvia municipality, in eastern Cauca, about 40 minutes from Popayán.

International

Survival guide for journalists published in Chinese

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 5 September 2005 IFJ media release:

Brazil

Judge prohibits newspaper from reporting on trial

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 1 September 2005, Judge José Alonso Beltrame Júnior, of the Tenth Santos Civil Court, in Sao Paulo state, issued an order prohibiting "A Tribuna" newspaper from reporting on a court case involving the misappropriation of public funds. The local paper faces a fine of 50,000 reais (approx. US$21,000) each time it defies the order.

Colombia

Camera operator assaulted by police

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 2 September 2005, journalist Patricia Uribe and camera operator Germán Palma, of the "Noticias Uno" television programme, were harassed and assaulted by officers of the Bogotá Metropolitan Police, while covering a story on squatters displaced by the civil war.

Colombia

President of Valle del Cauca Journalists' Association assassinated

(FLIP/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 FLIP press release:

International / China

IPI concerned by European Commission's approach to trade and human rights in China

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to the European Commission's External Relations Directorate General:

Brazil

Shooting of Rio journalist caps bad month for Brazilian press

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced dismay at the news that Nadja Haddad, of radio Band Rio, sustained a bullet wound to the chest during a shootout between military police and drug traffickers on 29 August 2005 in Rio de Janeiro, capping a month of attacks and abuse of authority against the press in Brazil.

Iran

Akbar Ganji back in prison after just two weeks to recover from hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the Iranian authorities' decision to send journalist Akbar Ganji straight back to Evin prison when he was discharged from Milad hospital on 3 September 2005, just two weeks after he called off a two-month-long hunger strike.

Serbia / Montenegro

Journalists, activists threatened with violence

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is an ANEM statement:

Mauritania

RSF issues twelve press freedom recommendations for month-old military junta

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 2 September 2005 RSF statement:

Republic of Congo

Community radio station suspended indefinitely

(JED/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 JED press release:

Nepal

Journalist hospitalised after police attack at a rally in Kathmandu

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

China

Imprisoned Internet journalist on hunger strike

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 September 2005 CPJ press release:

United States

Journalists victims of police violence in New Orleans in Katrina aftermath

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern over police violence against journalists covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, especially the attacks on reporters and photographers that took place on 1 September 2005.

Uzbekistan

Human rights activist forced into psychiatric detention for distributing political leaflets

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a 3 September 2005 Human Right Watch press release:

Somalia

Journalists' union leaders receive death threats; journalist kidnapped, released

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced "great concern" about threats in recent weeks against its partner organisation in Somalia, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ, formerly SOJON), just before and after its annual general assembly in Mogadishu from 29 to 31 August 2005.

Democratic Republic of Congo

CAPSULE REPORT: One month after human-rights activist assassinated, RSF alarmed by journalists' working conditions in Bukavu

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 31 August 2005 RSF capsule report:

Bangladesh

Nine journalists in Satkhira receive death threats

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Afghanistan

Journalist arrested in Jalalabad

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called for the immediate release of Ezatullah Zawab, editor of the bi-monthly "Meena", who has been held in custody in Jalalabad, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, since 2 September 2005.

South Africa

FXI criticizes police silence on break-in at Deputy President's home

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is a 1 September 2005 FXI press release:

Indonesia

CPJ calls for investigation into disappearance of journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Thailand

SEAPA chairman defends media activist's right to criticise Shin Corp

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 2 September 2005, veteran Thai journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn testified that media reform activist Supinaya Klangnarong, sued for criminal libel by telecom giant Shin Corp, had the public interest in mind when she said that the company had intertwining interests with the government.

Guatemala

Thirty-one journalists violently attacked so far in 2005; ex-paramilitary, organised crime and drug traffickers implicated

(CERIGUA/IFEX) - Between 1 January and 31 July 2005, 31 journalists were victims of violent attacks, including a radio station operator outside of the capital who was murdered, according to a study on the state of freedom of expression in the country ("Estado de Situación de la Libertad de Expresión 2005), published by CERIGUA's Observatory on Journalists on 31 August. This brings the total number of violent attacks on journalists since 1 January 2003 to 150, three of which resulted in the deaths of the journalists.

Chad

CPJ speaks with jailed journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe

Former "Daily News" journalist acquitted in important test case

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 31 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Poland

Journalist faces prison for refusing to reveal sources

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned a court order requiring Maciej Mikolajczyk, an investigative journalist with the satirical weekly "Nie", to hand over his computer hard disk by 5 September 2005.

Nigeria

Magazine editor survives murder attempt in latest of violent attacks on journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced impatience and anger at the Nigerian authorities after a 1 September 2005 murder attempt in Benin City on Peter Iwelomen, editor of the community magazine "Esan", in the latest in a series of violent attacks on journalists in Nigeria.

Tunisia

IFEX-TMG urges Kofi Annan to encourage Tunisian authorities to act to put an end to attacks on free expression

(IFEX-TMG) - The following is a joint letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan by members of the IFEX-TMG:

Cambodia

Broadcasters ordered to stop on-air commentary on newspaper articles; IFJ protests criminal defamation ruling against journalist

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Turkey

Author Orhan Pamuk to face trial for "public denigration" of Turkish identity

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN greets with shock the news that the world-famous Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, will be brought before an Istanbul court on 16 December 2005 and that he faces up to three years in prison for a comment published in a Swiss newspaper earlier this year.

Russia

Radio Liberty reporter barred from covering Beslan anniversary

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 September 2005 CPJ press release:

Bangladesh

Eight journalists receive death threats

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Mexico

Northern newspaper editors and publishers set up team to continue murdered reporters' investigative journalism

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 31 August 2005 IAPA press release:

International

Media ethics and professionalism scrutinised at MISA conference

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a 31 August 2005 MISA press statement:

Cambodia

Supreme Court upholds libel charge against reporter

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a joint statement by SEAPA and the Cambodian Association for Protection of Journalists (CAPJ):

Mexico

Federalise investigations, stiffen penalties for crimes against journalists, IAPA urges President Fox

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 30 August 2005 IAPA press release:

Togo

Religious television station allowed to resume broadcasts

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 27 August 2005, the religious television station TV Zion was allowed to resume its broadcasts after its suspension was lifted. The station had been suspended by Togo's High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC) for 15 days.

Gabon

Independent bimonthly allowed to publish again following 20-day suspension

(RSF/IFEX) - On 31 August 2005, a new issue of the independent bimonthly newspaper "Nku'u Le Messager" was published for the first time since it was suspended by the National Council for Communication (CNC) on 11 August.

India

TV crew attacked in Chennai

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Brazil

Police officer manhandles Sao Paulo photojournalist, destroys camera

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 10 August 2005, "Diario de São Paulo" photojournalist Wladimir de Souza was manhandled by police officer Antonio Honório while covering the questioning of a presumed drug trafficker at the civil police's narcotics investigation department (Departamento de Narcóticos, DENARC, Policía Civil). The incident occurred after he photographed the detainee's face while Honório was receiving the man's statement.

Iraq / United States

Reuters cameraman freed; review board orders continued detention of other Reuters freelancer

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Guinea

Government to allow private broadcasting

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Somalia

IFJ supports journalists' demands for improved safety measures

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Singapore

Filmmaker surrenders tapes, video equipment to police

(SEAPA/IFEX) - A Singaporean filmmaker has been forced to surrender his video camera and tapes to police, reports coming out of the city-state say.

Sierra Leone

Inquest says editor's death was manslaughter

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 29 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Angola

Photojournalist and newspaper censored, equipment confiscated

(MISA/IFEX) - On 24 August 2005, Angolan police harassed and censored a photojournalist with the independent weekly "Angolense", allegedly for reporting in an area without prior authorisation.

Nepal

Maoists release three journalists

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a 30 August 2005 CEHURDES press release:

India

Journalist survives knife attack

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Sri Lanka

Two "Sudaroli" newspaper journalists assaulted

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM press release:

China

Two cyber-dissidents placed under surveillance during visit by UN high commissioner for human rights

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF said it was "sickened by the hypocrisy of the Chinese authorities" in placing Liu Di, a young Internet user who was imprisoned for a year in 2002-2003, and Liu Xiaobo, a leading figure in the Chinese pro-democracy movement, under surveillance on 29 August 2005 while receiving a visit from Louise Arbour, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights.

Azerbaijan

Journalist's brother abducted and beaten up

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced shock after masked men kidnapped the brother of an opposition daily journalist from a city centre and took him to a suburb where they beat him and threw him into a canal.

Indonesia

Journalist kidnapped by six men on Nias island

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern about the fate of newspaper reporter Elyuddin Telaumbanua, who was beaten and abducted by a group of six unidentified men on 22 August 2005 on the island of Nias, off the northwestern coast of Sumatra. There has been no word of him since then.

Uzbekistan

Reporter jailed for "insulting" security officer

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 August 2005 CPJ press release:

International / Cuba

EU's British presidency asked to intercede in new crackdown in Cuba

(RSF/IFEX) - Following a new crackdown on Cuba's independent journalists in which several have been arrested, RSF has written to the British government, the current holder of the European Union presidency, expressing concern and asking it to make any softening in the EU stance on Cuba strictly conditional on the release of the independent journalists imprisoned in Cuba.

Nepal

Strong support shown for global day of action for press freedom in Nepal

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Colombia

Paramilitary threats force Barrancabermeja journalist into exile

(FLIP/IFEX) - Journalist Alfredo Serrano, who left Barrancabermeja, a petroleum port in Santander department, in late 2004 due to threats, went into exile on 29 August 2005 because it has been impossible for him to resume his work as a journalist in the city.

Nepal

Supreme Court orders journalists' release

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 26 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Angola

Public radio station fires journalist for criticism

(MISA/IFEX) - Angola's government-controlled National Radio has fired a respected sports analyst after he criticised the country's Football Federation.

Egypt

CIHRS releases first progress report on media coverage of presidential elections

(CIHRS/IFEX) - The following is a 26 August 2005 CIHRS press release:

India

Journalist arrested and released on bail; IFJ protests police attempts to muzzle media in Chandigarh

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Iraq

Iraqi television reporter becomes 67th journalist killed since start of war

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF said it is appalled by the news of the death of Iraqi television reporter Rafed Al Rubaii, who was covering a pro-Saddam demonstration in Diyala, east of Baghdad, on 27 August 2005 when a group of gunmen fired several shots in his direction before making off. A freelance contributor to the Iraqi television station Al Irakiya, Al Rubaii died instantly.

Iran

Cyber-journalist Mojtaba Lotfi and blogger Mohamad Reza Nasab Abdolahi released

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed the release of online journalist Mojtaba Lotfi on 28 August 2005 after more than six months in prison and Mohamad Reza Nasab Abdolahi, a weblogger arrested in February, who was set free the previous day after completing his sentence. However, it remains concerned that both still have prison sentences hanging over their heads.

Bolivia

Journalist's 2001 murder still unpunished; IAPA urges international community to sign letter to president on website

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 25 August 2005 IAPA press release:

Paraguay

Authorities close Ñemity FM community radio station, confiscate equipment

(AMARC/IFEX) - AMARC condemns the closure of Ñemity FM community radio station and the confiscation of its equipment by the Curuguaty Public Prosecutor, National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) officials and over 200 police at 6 a.m. (local time) on 26 August 2005.

China

Imprisoned journalist Shi Tao's family files for review of appeal

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 August 2005 CPJ press release:

China

Authorities turn down request for defence lawyer for journalist Ching Cheong

(RSF/IFEX) - On 17 August 2005, the Beijing State Security Bureau notified the wife of detained journalist Ching Cheong that her application to hire a lawyer to defend her husband against charges of spying for Taiwan had been rejected. RSF has voiced outrage at the Chinese authorities' decision.

Nigeria

Presidential committee bars journalists from covering proceedings

(MRA/IFEX) - On 22 August 2005, a presidential committee investigating the jail-breaks that took place at the Port Harcourt Prison in Rivers State and the Ugwuashi-Ukwu Prison in Delta State barred journalists from covering its proceedings.

Tunisia

IFEX-TMG calls on the Tunisian government to allow journalists' syndicate to hold congress in Tunis in September

(IFEX-TMG) - The following is a 27 August 2005 joint declaration by members of the IFEX-TMG:

Burma

Cartoonist Chit Swe freed after completing sentence

(RSF/IFEX) - Cartoonist Chit Swe, who is also an opposition National League for Democracy activist, was released after completing a one-month prison sentence on 23 August 2005.

Tunisia

IFEX-TMG calls on the Tunisian government to allow journalists' syndicate to hold congress in Tunis in September

(IFEX-TMG) - The following is a 27 August 2005 joint declaration by members of the IFEX-TMG:

Thailand

Senior editor of "Bangkok Post" dismissed over flawed news report

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 29 August 2005, Thailand's English-language daily "Bangkok Post" dismissed Sermsuk Kasitipradit, a desk editor who was responsible for a flawed report about cracks in the runway of Thailand's new international airport. The dismissal followed his resistance to pressure from the newspaper's management to resign.

Russia

Journalist sentenced to five years in prison camp released

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Colombia

Journalists concerned about bill to increase penalties for insult and defamation offences

(FLIP/IFEX) - The following is a 24 August 2005 FLIP press release:

Nepal

IFJ calls for greater protection of journalists amid reports of intimidation and abductions

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Sri Lanka

Grenade attack on Sudaroli printing press, security guard seriously injured

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM press release:

Malaysia

Media group fears prominent dissident's lawsuit award may undermine efforts to rationalise libel and defamation awards

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), SEAPA's local partner in Malaysia, has expressed concern that prominent dissident Anwar Ibrahim's recent lawsuit award could undermine efforts to rationalise libel and defamation awards and endanger freedom of expression in the country.

Iraq

Reuters soundman killed by US sniper fire

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage over the fatal shooting of Reuters TV soundman Waleed Khaled by US military sniper fire in Baghdad on 28 August 2005. The cameraman working with him, Haider Kadhem, sustained slight injuries and was detained by US soldiers.

Togo

Broadcast regulator suspends licence of religious television station

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 12 August 2005, the High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (Haute autorité de l'audiovisuel et de la communication, HAAC, Togo's broadcast regulator) suspended the broadcasting licence of TV Zion, a religious television station, for 15 days.

Thailand

Prime Minister imposes new rules on media at press conferences

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Côte d'Ivoire

Army head threatens closure of newspapers

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Nepal

Government official threatens legal action against newspapers over controversial cartoon

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - A top government official has threatened action against two leading Kathmandu-based, privately-owned newspapers.

Thailand

"Bangkok Post" editor resigns over airport report

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 24 August 2005, "Bangkok Post" news editor Chadin Thepaval resigned over the paper's flawed report about cracks in the runway of Thailand's new international airport. The resignation followed pressure from "Post" management that Chadin quit and take responsibility for the erroneous report that resulted in a criminal suit against the prestigious daily.

Belarus

Court orders closure of two independent publishing houses; WAN calls on government to cease harassment of independent press

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a 26 August 2005 WAN letter to Belarusian President Alexander Lukaschenko:

Sweden

Provincial daily receives bomb threat

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced shock over a bomb threat made to the "Norrköpings Tidningar" newspaper, a daily based in Norrköping, southwest of Stockholm. On 23 August 2005, the paper received an anonymous letter warning that four bombs would be set off in the town - one of them next to the newspaper - if it did not stop carrying reports about organised crime and did not apologise for the reports already published.

Cuba

Second independent journalist jailed in less than a month

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Tajikistan

Editor of independent weekly sentenced to two years corrective labour

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is 25 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Ethiopia

Newspaper distributor detained, released on bail

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Cuba

Imprisoned journalist on hunger strike

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Tunisia

IFJ condemns intimidation as journalists plan national congress

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Nigeria

State Security Service raid offices of privately-owned weekly, harass newspaper vendors

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage over the "perverse methods of intimidation" used against the Lagos-based weekly "The Exclusive" by Nigeria's intelligence agency, the State Security Service (SSS), which carried out a heavy-handed raid on the paper's offices on 19 August 2005 and then used threats to deter street vendors from selling its latest issue.

Pakistan

CPJ concerned about silencing of critical voices in fight against religious fundamentalism; editor denied bail

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Iraq

Reuters journalist held without charge by US military

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Iraq

Journalists adopt charter to strengthen media independence

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Yemen

Newspaper editor kidnapped and beaten by gunmen

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the abduction and beating of Jamal Amer, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly "al-Wassat". On the night of 22 August 2005, Amer was kidnapped outside his home by gunmen using a Presidential Guard vehicle. He was questioned about his work and beaten before being released seven hours later.

South Africa

FXI welcomes opening of trial in Landless Peoples' Movement torture case

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is an FXI press release:

Iran

Kurdish journalists and writers may face at least two months in prison; WiPC seriously concerned about writer and women's rights activist Roya Toloui

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN's WiPC is seriously concerned about the detention of writer and women's rights activist Roya Toloui, who was among several prominent Kurdish human rights defenders and journalists detained on 2 August 2005 following protests in the city of Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan province. PEN fears that Toloui and those arrested with her may be held in violation of Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, and if so calls for their immediate and unconditional release. PEN seeks details of any charges and sentences against them, and urges that they be granted access to any necessary medical attention, their families and legal representation whilst in detention.

Serbia / Montenegro

ANEM expresses renewed concern as Information and Culture Committee adopts draft amendments to Broadcast Act

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is a 23 August 2005 ANEM statement:

Ecuador

News broadcasts of several radio stations suspended in Sucumbíos and Orellana; military monitoring journalists' work at Radio Sucumbíos

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Approximately ten radio stations have been forced to suspend news broadcasts in Orellana and Sucumbíos provinces in the Amazon region since 14 August 2005, due to the imposition of a state of emergency. Among them is Radio Sucumbíos, a station well-respected in the area for its investigative journalism and news reporting. All of the station's reporters are currently under constant direct surveillance by a member of the armed forces, who monitors their work.

Serbia / Montenegro

Government minister condemns threats to journalists, warns of dangerous repercussions

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is a 23 August 2005 ANEM statement:

Australia

Journalists to be charged with contempt for refusing to name source

(MEAA/IFEX) - Two "Herald Sun" journalists will be formally charged with contempt after refusing to name their source before Chief Judge Michael Rozenes of the Melbourne County Court. MEAA condemns this attack against press freedom.

Honduras

PROBIDAD calls on Congress to approve Access to Public Information bill

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - The Access to Public Information and Habeas Data bill was introduced in Congress in October 2004, with the support of the heads of the five political party caucuses. On several occasions since then, Congressional leaders have expressed their willingness to approve it.

Belarus

Writer and nuclear scientist Yury Bandazhevsky conditionally released

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is delighted by the unexpected release of Professor Yury Bandazhevsky, a nuclear scientist and writer on the effects of radioactive emissions on human beings. PEN is disappointed that his release was not unconditional and that restrictions will remain against him for the next five years. These include: having to report regularly to the police, restrictions on travel and being barred from holding senior functions, including managerial and political ones. PEN will continue to press for the lifting of all remaining restrictions against him.

Chad

Radio station allowed to resume broadcasting after three month suspension

(JED/IFEX) - On 23 August 2005, Moussa Mahamat Dago, president of the High Council of Communication (Haut conseil de la communication, HCC), the body that regulates Chad's media, authorised the resumption of broadcasts by Radio Brakoss, a community station based in Moïssala, a village about 700 km from the capital, N'Djamena.

Thailand

IFJ supports "Bangkok Post" journalists' efforts to prevent dismissal of editors

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Nepal

CAPSULE REPORT: Report of international mission details growing threat to media rights and free expression

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 22 August 2005 RSF statement:

Maldives

Cyber-dissident Mohamed Zaki freed

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has cautiously welcomed the release of cyber-dissident Mohamed Zaki after two years in prison and 19 months under house arrest. The organisation also called on President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to send a "positive signal" to the world by freeing other journalists still being detained, including two arrested several days ago.

Sri Lanka

Photojournalist beaten while covering JVP protest rally

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM press release:

Burma

Ban on sensitive news extended despite assurances of more "flexible censorship policies"

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 16 August 2005, the Burmese Ministry of Information's Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) blocked the "Myanmar Times" from publishing a Burmese translation of an article on new publishing licence regulations in the country, according to well-informed sources in Rangoon.

Côte d'Ivoire

Pro-opposition newspaper editor receives repeated death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF said it was appalled by the impunity with which anonymous phone callers have been making death threats for more than a week against Eddy Péhé, managing editor of the opposition daily "Le Nouveau Réveil", forcing him to flee his home.

Colombia

FLIP calls for investigation of death threats; exiled journalist awarded special scholarship by Stanford University

(FLIP/IFEX) - Death threats against "Noticias Uno" television news programme director Daniel Coronell, his wife, television announcer María Cristina Uribe, and their daughter have forced the journalist and his family to leave the country. Although Coronell provided evidence that he himself obtained regarding the probable source of the attacks, investigations by the Prosecutor General's Office (Fiscalía) have yet to provide any concrete results.

Iran

Akbar Ganji a cessé sa grève de la faim ; les proches du journaliste confirment

(RSF/IFEX) - La femme d'Akbar Ganji, Massoumeh Shafii, a confirmé, le 22 août 2005, que le journaliste avait recommencé à s'alimenter.

Iran

Akbar Ganji ends hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed the confirmation from imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji's wife, Massoumeh Shafiie, that Ganji has indeed begun eating again after observing a hunger strike for more than two months.

Palestine

Kidnapped French television soundman freed

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Armenia

Anthropology student Yektan Turkyilmaz released

(WiPC/IFEX) - Yektan Turkyilmaz, a PhD student of cultural anthropology held in Armenia since mid-June, was released from prison with a suspended sentence on 16 August 2005. The Malatia-Sebastia district court in the capital, Yerevan, convicted Turkyilmaz on two counts of attempting to take antique books out of the country. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the decision not to imprison him was made at the request of state prosecutors who cited Turkyilmaz's partial acknowledgement of guilt and his cooperation with investigators. The prosecutor also said Turkyilmaz's youth was a reason for leniency. He is required to stay in Armenia until 30 August and will from then on be free to travel to and from the country.

Peru

President's brother assaults television team

(IPYS/IFEX) - At around noon (local time) on 19 August 2005, journalist Gino Márquez Álvarez and camera operator Germán Huaroto Parra, working for America Televisión's "Cuarto Poder" public affairs programme, were assaulted by President Toledo's brother, Luis Toledo Manrique, the latter's son and a member of his security team. The assailants also snatched a microphone and the keys to the car that the journalists were in. The incident occurred in the district of Lurín, south of Lima.

Bahrain

CAPSULE REPORT: EOHR review of free expression situation in Bahrain

(EOHR/IFEX) - The following is a 17 August 2005 EOHR capsule report:

Panama

IAPA concerned about multi-million-dollar lawsuit, proposed seizure of journalist's salary

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 19 August 2005 IAPA press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Newspaper publisher released after 25 days in detention

(JED/IFEX) - Jean Pierre Phambu Lutete, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "La Tolérance", was released in the early evening of 20 August 2005. Tshimanga Mukeba, the state prosecutor, has apparently withdrawn his complaint, Phambu Lutete told JED by telephone on 21 August.

Egypt

Journalists face retrial and possible imprisonment on defamation charges

(EOHR/IFEX) - Three Egyptian journalists who were found guilty of defaming Housing Minister Ibrahim Suleiman in April 2005 will challenge the verdict in a retrial scheduled for 23 August.

Nepal

"Kantipur" journalist threatened; government officials claim FM radio stations not protected by Constitution's press freedom provisions

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - "Kantipur" columnist Krishna Jwala Devkota has been receiving threatening phone calls and e-mails from persons claiming to be "government security forces" since 7 August 2005. In that day's edition, "Kantipur" published an opinion piece by Devkota entitled, "Why Doesn't the Army Speak?" The journalist's opinion piece described the alleged rape of Maoist women activists in army custody. Devkota's family members have also been threatened.

Sri Lanka

Grenade thrown into "Sudaroli" newspaper's office

(FMM/IFEX) - On 20 August 2005, an unidentified man opened the door and threw a grenade into "Sudaroli" newspaper's office in Wellawatta, Colombo. A special police team later removed the unexploded grenade.

Zimbabwe

State drops charges against "Standard" newspaper journalists

(MISA/IFEX) - The State has dropped charges of publishing false statements prejudicial to the State against the former editor of "Standard" weekly newspaper, Bornwell Chakaodza, and reporter Valentine Maponga.

Sri Lanka

Journalist arrested under emergency laws; police refuse to provide information

(FMM/IFEX) - FMM has expressed serious concern over the Kurunagala police's refusal to provide information about journalist Subramanium Ramesh, the Mawathagama correspondent for the Tamil language daily "Veerakesaree", who was arrested under emergency laws sometime in the afternoon of 19 August 2005.

Cameroon

Independent newspaper targeted in legal suits

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Thailand

ARTICLE 19, IFJ and SEAPA disappointed that testimony of international expert defence witnesses blocked

(ARTICLE 19/IFJ/SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a joint ARTICLE 19, IFJ and SEAPA press release:

Uganda

Radio KFM back on the air, but producer dismissed

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has hailed the Broadcasting Council's 18 August 2005 decision to allow Radio KFM back on the air, but voiced concern over the upcoming trial of KFM journalist Andrew Mwenda for sedition and the dismissal of Angelo Izama, the producer of Mwenda's radio programme.

Nicaragua

International PEN protests murder of "La Prensa" journalist; suspect in custody

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is aghast at the murder on 14 August 2005 of journalist Rony Adolfo Olivas Olivas and calls upon the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation to bring those responsible to justice.

Australia

Two journalists summoned to reveal sources

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is alarmed that journalists Michael Harvey and Gerard McManus of the Canberra-based daily "Herald Sun" have been summoned to appear as witnesses before a Melbourne court on 23 August 2005, where they will be asked under threat of legal penalty if the defendant is one of their sources.

Pakistan

IFJ condemns cancellation of publication permits

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Cambodia

Groups condemn rising incidence of heckling and intimidation at rights forums

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 9 August 2005, pro-government participants intimidated speakers at a human rights forum held in a village in Cambodia's Kompong Speu province, forcing authorities to bring the forum to an abrupt end.

Colombia

CPJ condemns grenade attack on newspaper

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Belarus

KGB censors satirical Internet cartoons

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the raids carried out by the Belarusian secret police (KGB) in Minsk and the western city of Grodno on 16 August 2005. The KGB raided the apartments of three young members of the Third Way opposition movement who reportedly create satirical, animated cartoons for Internet distribution. The KGB confiscated at least 12 computers and other equipment used to produce the cartoons and interrogated three Third Way members.

Thailand

Shin Corp uses delay tactics in media reform activist's trial

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Maldives

International PEN protests arrest of writer Mohamed Nasheed, fears ill-treatment

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is seriously concerned about the arrest of opposition politician and writer Mohamed Nasheed, who was among several members of the newly established opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), arrested on 12 August 2005 during a peaceful protest in Malé. Nasheed was reportedly beaten by police after being detained.

Russia

Court upholds two-year prison sentence for journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 August 2005 CPJ press release:

China

Another foreign radio station falls victim to "Great Wall of the airwaves"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reacting to the recently-begun jamming of Sound of Hope Radio Network, like Radio Free Asia and Voice of America before it, RSF has condemned China's latest advance in the construction of a "Great Wall of the airwaves."

Thailand

CAPSULE REPORT: IFJ expresses concern over recent threats to Thai media

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ Capsule Report:

Maldives

Journalists targeted in crackdown on pro-democracy opposition

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern over a wave of press freedom violations in recent weeks in the Maldives, which culminated in the arrests of several journalists and the closure of the only opposition publication. This follows the arrest and detention of Mohamed Nasheed, leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), on 12 August 2005.

Peru

Authorities seize journalist's equipment

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 4 August 2005, Félix Calva Guerrero, a correspondent for Radio Santa Rosa Chirinos, was released after being kept in custody by the National Police for three days in Cerro Corazón de Jesus, Huancabamba province, in the northern region of Piura. Calva was detained while he was covering a violent protest march on 1 August (see IFEX alert of 8 August 2005). His tape recorder, camera and personal belongings have not been returned to him.

Colombia

Attack on "El Informador" newspaper offices in Santa Marta

(FLIP/IFEX) - During the night of 15 August 2005, unknown assailants on a motorcycle threw a fragmentation grenade at the offices of "El Informador" newspaper, in the northern coastal city of Santa Marta, department of Magdalena.

Pakistan

Three weekly magazines banned

(PPF/IFEX) - On 15 August 2005, the publishing licences of the weekly publications "Wajood", "Zerb-i-Islam" and "Friday Special" were cancelled on the recommendation of the government of Sindh province. The order to cancel the publishing licences effectively banned publication of the three magazines.

Libya

Human Rights Watch concerned about stifling of political debate and health of imprisoned Internet writer

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a Human Rights Watch press release:

Lebanon

Parliament gives green light for MTV television station to reopen

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has hailed the Lebanese Parliament's approval on 16 August 2005 of a legislative amendment permitting the reopening of MTV, a television station critical of Syria that was closed by the authorities on 4 September 2002.

Morocco

Two newspaper journalists get "disproportionate" sentences for libelling a parliamentarian

(RSF/IFEX) - The trial of Ahmed Reda Benchemsi, managing editor of the independent weekly "Tel Quel", and Karim Boukhari, the paper's news editor, for libelling a legislator was "unfair" and the sentences handed down by a Casablanca court on 15 August 2005 - a two-month suspended prison term, 1 million dirhams (approx. US$112,000; 91,000 euros) in damages and a fine of 2,500 dirhams (approx. $US280; 228 euros) - were "disproportionate," RSF said.

Sri Lanka

CPJ calls on authorities to investigate killing of Tamil broadcaster and her husband

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Colombia

Death threats force television news journalist to flee the country

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern that news producer Daniel Coronell was forced to flee Colombia on 14 August 2005, following months of anonymous threats. Coronell is the producer of the "Noticias Uno" television news programme on Canal Uno in Bogotá and a reporter for the magazine "Semana".

Iraq

Media leaders demand free expression guarantees in new constitution

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Philippines

Violence against broadcasters highlights crisis of corruption, lawlessness, says CPJ report

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Thailand

SEAPA denounces criminal libel suit filed against "Bangkok Post" newspaper

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA has denounced a government decision to pursue criminal libel lawsuits against Thailand's leading English-language newspaper, the "Bangkok Post", despite the paper's having earlier recanted a news article that was the basis for the government's complaint.

Chad

Court hands down second prison term to jailed journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Uzbekistan

Authorities deport Russian journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Serbia / Montenegro

Minister threatens journalist

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is a 16 August 2005 ANEM statement:

Niger

Journalist insulted by businessman

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 10 August 2005, Mamane Abou, managing editor of the weekly "Le Républicain", was verbally attacked by Alhaji Moussa Dan Foulani, a businessman and a close friend of President Tandja Mamadou of Niger.

Nicaragua

Journalist murdered in Estelí

(FIP/IFEX) - The IFJ Regional Office for Latin America condemns and laments the murder of journalist Rony Adolfo Olivas Olivas, which which ocurred in the early hours of 14 August 2005 in the city of Estelí, 150 km north of Managua. Olivas was a correspondent for "La Prensa" newspaper, a reporter for Liberación radio and president of the Estelí branch of the Nicaraguan Journalists' Union (Unión de Periodistas de Nicaragua, UPN).

Russia

Polish journalist assaulted in Moscow

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has strongly condemned the 11 August 2005 beating of Pawel Reszka, Moscow correspondent for the Polish daily "Rzeczpospolita". The organisation called on Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev to find and punish those responsible for the attack.

Israel

IFJ calls on Israel to lift ban on Palestinian journalists; local media prevented from covering withdrawal from Gaza

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Uganda

CPJ condemns sedition charge against radio talk show host

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Chad

Journalist sentenced to 12 months' prison

(JED/IFEX) - On 15 August 2005, a N'Djamena court sentenced Sy Koumbo Singa Gali, publication director for the independent "L'Observateur", to 12 months' prison without parole and a 100,000 CFCA fine (approx. US$188;152 euros) in relation to an interview the paper had earlier published with another jailed "Observateur" journalist, Garonde Djarma. Koumbo was immediately taken into custody at the N'Djamena detention centre, where she will join three other journalists jailed in the past month and facing heavy sentences.

Philippines

Journalist attacked, threatened in Butuan City

(CMFR/IFEX) - Shortly after midnight on 11 August 2005, three men threw stones at the home of Ben Serrano in Butuan City (about 800 km southeast of Manila) and attempted to force their way in. Serrano is a correspondent for the national daily "Philippine Star".

Nepal

Maoist students threaten to murder editor of weekly

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The All Nepal National Independent Students' Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), a Maoist student organisation, has threatened to physically harm Tekendra Dhakal, editor of the Jhapa-based "Jhulkegham Weekly". Reports claim the group has posted public notices in various places around the eastern city of Jhapa, announcing their intention to harm the journalist.

Greece

Newspaper censors article on Macedonian minority and language

(GHM/IFEX) - GHM condemns the censorship by the Greek daily newspaper "Makedonia" of an article on the banned Macedonian language in Greece that was to be published on 14 August 2005, in the regular Sunday column of writer Thanasis Triaridis.

Palestine

Gunmen kidnap France 3 soundman in Gaza

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the 14 August 2005 kidnapping of France 3 television crew soundman Mohamed Ouathi by three gunmen in Gaza and urged the Palestinian authorities to do everything possible to ensure that he is quickly released.

Sri Lanka

Journalist and her husband killed by unknown gunmen

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 12 August 2005 FMM press release:

South Africa

FXI expresses concerns over Convergence Bill

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is a 12 August 2005 FXI statement:

Uganda

Talk show host arrested, facing sedition charges

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Pakistan

Three European filmmakers detained secretly for 16 days and then expelled

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

Uzbekistan

Russian journalist detained, held incommunicado

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is CPJ press release:

Bangladesh

Journalist beaten with cane by ruling party parliamentarian

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage at the action of a parliamentary representative of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in beating Manjur Morshed, the correspondent of a national daily, with a cane on 9 August 2005 in the southern city of Baufal. The attack left the journalist seriously injured. The legislator's supporters also attacked and threatened other journalists in Baufal.

Uganda

Radio station ordered closed after show on helicopter crash

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 11 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Cuba

Soldiers threaten journalist in continuing wave of repression; independent journalist arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF condemns threats made against independent journalist Lucas Garve, the president of the Freedom of Expression Foundation, who was awoken in his Havana home by soldiers from a rapid intervention unit at around 10:30 p.m. (local time) on 8 August 2005 and told he would "pay dearly" if he went out the next day.

Niger

CAPSULE REPORT: Government attacks media for reporting on famine

(MFWA/IFEX) - Several months ago, Niger's media sounded the alarm on the existence of famine in the country. It was the government weekly "Sahel Dimanche" which alerted the public to the existence of the famine through a feature in its issue no. 1130 of 29 April 2005. However, the country's authorities, particularly President Tandja Mamadou, were not pleased with the paper's publication of this issue. "Sahel Dimanche" editor-in-chief Tchirgni Maïmouna, who was responsible for the feature, was relieved of her duties and given a three-month leave.

Thailand

Government announces plans designed to curb community radio stations

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Thailand

CPJ concerned about government's escalating harassment of media; transport minister threatens to file criminal defamation charges against "Bangkok Post" newspaper

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 11 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Egypt

Two years after editor's disappearance, authorities are providing no answers and few details are known

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 11 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe

Self-regulatory mechanisms for media feature prominently at MISA-Zimbabwe AGM

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is an 11 August 2005 MISA press release:

Algeria

Officials "find" missing Benchicou case files

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed the sudden "discovery" of a missing file in the appeal by imprisoned newspaper editor Mohamed Benchicou against his two-year jail sentence. The file was supposedly lost more than three weeks ago by the Supreme Court.

Nepal

Supreme Court orders government to halt cancellation of radio station's licence pending court verdict

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Botswana

CPJ expresses concern that journalist's expulsion may be linked to his work

(CPJ/IFEX) - On 9 August 2005, CPJ sent the following letter to Botswana's President Festus Mogae, expressing concern at the expulsion of a journalist:

Gabon

Media council orders independent newspaper suspended

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Saudi Arabia

PEN American Center hails release of Saudi reformers

(PEN/IFEX) - The following is an 8 August 2005 PEN American Center press release:

Cuba

Journalist tried for "civil disobedience" and "resisting authorities"

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced deep concern upon learning that independent journalist Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero, of the Nueva Prensa Cubana news agency, was to be tried before a municipal court in Nueva Gerona (Isle of Youth) on 9 August 2005, on charges of "civil disobedience" and "resisting authorities".

Burma

Cartoonist sentenced to one month in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF and the Cartoonists Rights Network (CRN) have condemned a month-long prison sentence handed down by a Rangoon court to cartoonist Chit Swe. The two organisations called on cartoonists around the world to show solidarity with Chit Swe by reproducing some of his drawings, available online at http://www.rsf.org and http://www.cartoon-crn.com.

United States / Cuba

U.S. authorities seize information materials and computers from aid convoy to Cuba

(IFLA/FAIFE/IFEX) - The following is a 9 August 2005 IFLA/FAIFE media release:

Somalia

Radio journalist freed but expelled from Jowhar

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 9 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Sudan

Police raid two newspapers despite announced end to censorship

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the "outrageous return of police raids on newspaper printing presses" in Sudan after security forces prevented two Arabic-language dailies from being published on 6 August 2005, despite a previously-announced lifting of media censorship.

Thailand

Government shuts down radio station

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Local community radio station FM92.25, known for its strong criticism of the government, was shut down in an outrageous raid on the station by authorities on 9 August 2005.

China

IFJ warns of government's plans to tighten control over foreign television satellite broadcasters, step up censorship

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Swaziland

Newspaper crippled by defamation judgment

(MISA/IFEX) - On 29 July 2005, Deputy Prime Minister Albert Shabangu won a staggering E750 000 (approx. US$116,000) in damages in a defamation suit against the "Times of Swaziland" newspaper, following a High Court ruling. The judgment is historical in terms of a settlement amount awarded in Swaziland.

Iraq

Several hypotheses possible in the murder of American journalist, says RSF

(RSF/IFEX) - Those responsible for the 2 August 2005 murder of American freelance journalist Steven Vincent in Basra have yet to be identified, but several hypotheses are possible.

Côte d'Ivoire

Opposition daily "Dernières Nouvelles d'Abidjan" journalist assaulted

(MFWA/IFEX) - Brahima Gollé, a journalist at the political desk of the pro-opposition daily, "Dernières Nouvelles d'Abidjan", was attacked and beaten by uniformed strangers on 4 August 2005 at 10:00 p.m. (local time), in Yopougon, a suburb north of Abidjan. The attack appears to have been in retaliation for an article he had written.

Iran

Security agents raid Akbar Ganji's home, threaten wife and daughter

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF secretary-general Robert Ménard has appealed to imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji to call off his hunger strike as dozens of plainclothes agents of the Tehran state prosecutor raided his home, insulted and roughed up his wife and daughter, and threatened to arrest them for "spying."

Nigeria

Security agents release 2 detained printers, continue hunt for human rights activist

(MRA/IFEX) - On 4 August 2005, Nigeria's intelligence agency, the State Security Service (SSS), released from custody two printers, Steve Omali and Michael Damisa.The printers had been arrested on 1 August at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja after being found in possession of advocacy campaign materials printed for the Coalition Against Impunity. They were released on bail along with Damisa's brother, Matthew Damisa, who was also arrested on 1 August when he went to visit his brother at the SSS Headquarters in Abuja.

Chad

Journalist sentenced to six months in prison; a second facing legal action

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF strongly condemns the continued harassment of independent journalists in Chad, after a six-month prison sentence was handed down to "Le Temps" director Michaël Didama on 8 August 2005. Sy Koumbo Singa Gali, publication director for the independent "L'Observateur", also faces legal action in a separate case.

Belarus

Polish photojournalist expelled, banned from Belarus for five years

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Nepal

Two journalists forced to sign a statement under threat of imprisonment; another journalist threatened for reporting on corruption

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Ethiopia

Journalist sent to jail for not identifying source; another journalist fined

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Paraguay

Community radio station bombed

(AMARC/IFEX) - Puerto Casado-based radio station Quebracho Poty was almost completely burned down after several bombs exploded in its studios at dawn on 2 August 2005.

Peru

Journalist receives death threat for investigating murder of fellow journalist

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 6 August 2005, Hugo Gonzáles Hinostroza, a reporter for the daily "Expresión" in Huaraz, northern Peru, received a phone call warning him to stop investigating the 2004 murder of journalist Antonio de La Torre, otherwise he and his family would be targeted.

Iraq

Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organizations calls for a constitutional provision to guarantee press freedom

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 4 August 2005 WPFC news release:

Zimbabwe

Photojournalist arrested, equipment confiscated

(MISA/IFEX) - On 4 August 2005, Desmond Kwande, chief photographer of the "Daily Mirror", was arrested in Harare by municipal policemen while taking photos of destitute people being rounded up in the city center. The arrest came despite Kwande having identified himself as an accredited photojournalist.

Iran

Crackdown on Kurdish press following clashes in Kurdistan

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned a wave of harassment of Kurdish journalists by local authorities in Iranian Kurdistan. The region has been hit by clashes in recent weeks resulting in the closure of the daily "Achti" and the weekly "Asou" on the orders of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Peru

Policía detiene a periodista durante protesta

(IPYS/IFEX) - El 1 de agosto de 2005, el periodista Julio César Vásquez Calle, corresponsal de Radio Cutivalú, fue detenido por la Policía Nacional en Cerro Corazón de Jesús, en la provincia de Huancabamba, en la región norteña de Piura, mientras cubría una violenta marcha de protesta contra la explotación minera en la zona.

Peru

Police detain journalist during protest

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 1 August 2005, journalist Julio César Vásquez Calle, correspondent for Radio Cutivalú, was detained by the National Police in Cerro Corazón de Jesús, Huancabamba province, Piura region, northern Perú, while covering a violent protest against a mining company operating in the area.

Peru

Journalists assaulted by squatters during eviction from seized land

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 26 July 2005, approximately 50 local residents involved in the take over of land assaulted a group of journalists working for several of the local media in the city of Ayacucho, central Peru, as they covered an eviction operation carried out by the police. After having been forced out of Yanamilla area, the assailants attacked the journalists with rocks and slingshots, for no apparent reason.

Belarus

IPI concerned over ongoing harassment of journalists

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Uzbekistan

Court convicts Internews staffers, rejects office closure

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 5 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Taiwan

Authorities close down television news station

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced dismay over the abrupt closure of television news station ETTV-S. The station was closed along with six others - mainly entertainment, commercial cable television stations - following a 31 July 2005 decision by the government's Satellite Broadcasting Business Review Committee not to renew their licences. They were given just two days to stop broadcasting.

Iraq

Iraqi producer murdered in front of his family

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the murder of Adnan Al Bayati, who was killed at home in Baghdad in the presence of his wife and daughter on 23 July 2005. He had been working as an interpreter and producer for Italian news media for several years.

Philippines

Investigation into editor's murder proceeding at slow pace

(CMFR/IFEX) - Three months after identifying the suspects in the killing of editor Philip Agustin, police have failed to arrest two of the three alleged gunmen. Agustin, publisher and editor of the community-based weekly "Starline Times Recorder", was shot inside his daughter's house on 10 May 2005.

Azerbaijan

Police confiscate newspaper, arrest journalists

(JuHI/IFEX) - On 2 August 2005, police confiscated the current issue of "Azadliq" newspaper from various distribution centres and arrested numerous "Azadliq" staff. The journalists and media workers were taken to 39 police division. They were later released after the paper's editorial office intervened.

Zimbabwe

Editor pleads not guilty to charges of "publishing falsehoods"

(MISA/IFEX) - On 3 August 2005, Willie Mponda, editor of the weekly community newspaper "The Sun", pleaded not guilty to charges of publishing falsehoods when his trial opened in Gweru, the capital of Zimbabwe's Midlands Province.

Niger

Journalist detained for refusing to reveal source

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 25 July 2005, Moussa Douka, a journalist for the satirical weekly newspaper "La Griffe", was detained for several hours at the Police Criminal Investigations Department in Niamey, following an article he published in that day's edition of the paper. The journalist was summoned by police at 18:00 hours GMT and released at about 24:00 GMT.

China

IFJ and HKJA call for fair trial in case of Hong Kong journalist accused of spying

(IFJ/HKJA/IFEX) - The following is a 5 August 2005 press release:

Venezuela

Protesters congregate outside "Notitarde" newspaper offices, threaten to kill journalists

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the evening of 30 July 2005, around one hundred people congregated in front of the offices of the newspaper "Notitarde", in Valencia, Carabobo State, shouting protest slogans and threatening to kill its reporters.

Peru

Municipal official attempts to murder radio journalist

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 23 July 2005, radio journalist Luis Alberto Ochoa Muñoz, director of "La Voz del Pueblo" programme, was the target of a murder attempt by Mario Ccama Chacón, municipal manager of the Santa Teresa district, Convención province, Cusco. The journalist was reporting on several criticisms that had been made of alleged administrative mismanagement on Ccama's part, when Ccama himself suddenly appeared at the radio station, burst into the recording cabin, took out a revolver and shot Ochoa. Fortunately, the shots missed their target, due to defective bullets.

Armenia

Anthropology student jailed, facing up to 8 years in prison for possession of antique books

(WiPC/IFEX) - Members of the world association of writers, International PEN, have been alerted to the plight of Yektan Turkyilmaz, a Turkish PhD student of cultural anthropology who has been in prison in Armenia since mid June 2005. Turkyilmaz was arrested for not declaring that he was in possession of antique books as he was leaving the country. PEN has learned that his trial is set to take place on 9 August.

Tajikistan

Authorities seize copies of newspaper, seal printing company's offices

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a 28 July 2005 statement by the National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT), an Adil Soz partner:

Nigeria

Security agents arrest 2 printers, hunt for human rights activist

(MRA/IFEX) - At about noon (local time) on 1 August 2005, operatives of Nigeria's intelligence agency, the State Security Service (SSS), arrested two printers, Steve Omali and Michael Damisa, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja and subsequently detained them for being in possession of advocacy campaign materials which they printed for the Coalition Against Impunity.

Algeria

Judges lose Benchicou case file

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Sierra Leone

Member of parliament questioned over editor's death; reporters' union resolves to impose news blackout

(MFWA/IFEX) - The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sierra Leone Police has questioned Fatmata Hassan, a member of parliament who allegedly initiated the assault leading to the death of Harry Yanssaneh, acting editor of the independent newspaper "For Di People".

Honduras

Court dismisses soft-drink company's US$ 1.6 million lawsuit against "La Prensa" newspaper owner

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - On 26 July 2005, the San Pedro Sula chamber of the Honduran Supreme Court dismissed a US$ 1.6 million lawsuit that had been filed against Jorge Canahuati Larach, owner of "La Prensa" newspaper, published in San Pedro Sula. The libel suit had been filed by Embotelladora Hondureña S.A (EMBOHSA), a soft-drink bottling company, for a series of articles the company had claimed were defamatory. "La Prensa" had alleged that a plant that EMBOHSA would like to set up would damage the Sunceri aquifer, San Pedro Sula's main water reservoir.

Honduras

Ley de acceso a la información pública encuentra primeros oponentes: empresarios y periodistas

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Lo que sigue es un comunicado de prensa de PROBIDAD, con fecha del 28 de julio de 2005:

China

Journalist Wu Shishen freed after more than 12 years in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 2 August 2005 RSF press release:

Nepal

Government threatens to revoke licence of private FM station

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a 4 August 2005 CEHURDES press release:

Sri Lanka

CPJ alarmed by president's comments against senior journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Egypt

EOHR issues report documenting prosecution, sexual assault and imprisonment of journalists

(EOHR/IFEX) - The following is a 20 June 2005 EOHR press release:

Ukraine

Probe into murder of editor Georgy Gongadze moves to new phase, says prosecutor

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Nepal

CAPSULE REPORT: Six months of media repression in Nepal

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 August 2005 IFJ capsule report:

Cuba

Oscar Mario González Pérez faces up to 20 years in prison under Law 88

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced alarm on learning that independent journalist Oscar Mario González Pérez, of the Grupo de Trabajo Decoro news agency, is to be prosecuted under Law 88 protecting Cuba's "national independence and economy." González was arrested on 22 July 2005 in Havana. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Ghana

Police seize and damage equipment after journalists attempt to photograph controversial hotel

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 27 July 2005, police seized and destroyed the cameras of several journalists who were taking photos of the Hotel Kufour, a building whose acquisition by the President's son has been a focus of ongoing controversy.

Chechnya (Russia)

CPJ calls on foreign minister to reverse decision on U.S. network ABC

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov:

Angola

Journalist sentenced to 10 years in prison

(MISA/IFEX) - On 19 July 2005, journalist Celso Amaral was sentenced to ten years in prison after being found guilty on several charges related to the mismanagement of state funds. Amaral had been accused of misusing approximately US$42,547 during the time he headed the government-controlled branch of Radio National in the central province of Huila.

Philippines

Journalist fears for her life after exposing local corruption

(CMFR/IFEX) - A reporter based in Batangas, south of Manila, has been living in fear for more than three weeks after articles she wrote exposing provincial government corruption angered the local governor, Armando Sanchez.

Ghana

High Court awards extensive damages in defamation case

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 28 July 2005, high court in Accra ordered the independent weekly, "National Democrat", to pay Ghana's Minister of State for Defence, Kwame Addo- Kufuor, 400 million cedis (approx. US$44,000) in damages for publishing an article that the minister considered defamatory.

Venezuela

CPJ urges prosecutor to drop "insult" probe against daily

(CPJ/IFEX) - On 2 August 2005, CPJ called on Attorney General Isaías Rodríguez Díaz to drop a criminal investigation of "El Universal" begun after the Caracas daily published an editorial that criticized the performance of his office. Rodríguez's office said it was offended and was considering whether the editorial constituted a crime. Charges could be filed under Venezuela's desacato laws, which criminalize expressions that insult public officials. The full text of the letter follows:

United States

CPJ delegation visits "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller in prison

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Somalia

Radio journalist arrested in Jowhar

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

The Gambia

President Jammeh renews threats against journalists as coup d'etat anniversary approaches

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 21 July 2005, President Yahya Jammeh renewed his threats against journalists working for private media and foreign news outlets in his country.

Guinea

"Guinée-News" bureau chief and news source manhandled and illegally confined

(MFWA/IFEX) - Abdoulaye Youlaké Camara, Conakry bureau chief of "Guinée-News", was detained on 27 July 2005 at a Conakry police station over an online article he had published.

Morocco

Editor of provincial newspaper targeted in campaign of intimidation

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the harassment and intimidation of editor Brahim Fillali since he began publishing a new, local newspaper, "Ici et Maintenant" ("Here and Now"), in the southern city of Ouarzazate. The harassment has included a recent arson attack on the newspaper which the police refuse to investigate.

Uzbekistan

CPJ urges Uzbek leader to end harassment of independent press

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 August 2005 CPJ letter to Uzbek President Islam Karimov:

South Korea

RSF concerned over new press law

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 27 July 2005 RSF press release:

Honduras

Media businessman launches legal action against owner of "La Prensa" newspaper

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Media businessman and investor Jorge Canahuati Larach, owner of "La Prensa" and "El Heraldo" newspapers, published in the northern city of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, the capital, respectively, is the target of a new legal action for libel and defamation, filed by banker Jaime Rosenthal Oliva, who is also a newspaper owner.

Burundi

RPA allowed to resume broadcasting

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has hailed a 27 July 2005 decision by the National Communications Council (Commission nationale de la communication, CNC) to allow the privately-owned radio station Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) to resume broadcasting.

Russia

Moscow condemns ABC interview with Chechen warlord, Russian journalist faces possible prosecution

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 2 August 2005 RSF press release:

Botswana

News editor ordered to leave the country

(MISA/IFEX) - On 27 July 2005, Rodrick Mukumbira, news editor for "Ngami Times" newspaper in the north-west of Botswana, was instructed in writing by the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs to surrender his work and residence permits to the relevant Immigration departments and leave the country within seven days.

Philippines

Death threat delivered to Manila newsmagazine's managing editor's doorstep

(SEAPA/IFEX) - An influential newsmagazine in Manila has condemned what it believes to be a death threat against its managing editor.

Sierra Leone

Editor refused bail

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 25 July 2005, Paul Kamara, editor of the Freetown-based newspaper "For Di People", who is serving a 2-year prison term for seditious libel, was refused his application for bail.

Iraq

IPI condemns murder of U.S. journalist in Iraq; Iraqi translator in critical condition

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Serbia / Montenegro

SEEMO concerned about draft amendments to Broadcast Act

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 28 July 2005 press release by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

China

Internet essayist Zhang Lin sentenced to five years in prison

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 August 2005 CPJ press release:

Iran

Authorities arrest one of Akbar Ganji's lawyers

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on Iranian judicial authorities to explain why defence lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani has been secretly detained since 30 July 2005. Soltani is one of the lawyers representing imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji - now on the 52nd day of a hunger strike - and the family of photographer Zahra Kazemi, who died in police custody.

Honduras

Soft-drink bottling company files US$ 1.6 million lawsuit against "La Prensa" newspaper owner for libel and defamation

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Jorge Canahuati Larach, owner of "La Prensa" daily, which is published in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, 250 km. from Tegucigalpa, the capital, is facing a complaint for libel and defamation, launched against him on 22 July 2005 by the soft-drink bottling company Embotelladora de Honduras S.A. (EMBOHSA) after publishing a series of reports alleging that a soft-drink factory that EMBOHSA intends to set up will damage San Pedro Sula's principal water reservoir.

Bangladesh

Violent attack on photojournalist leaves him hospitalised

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Nepal

Journalists summoned in Dailekh; news distributor arrested, beaten

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - On 31 July 2005, the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) summoned three journalists in the mid-western district of Dailekh in connection with a news item published in "The Kathmandu Post" on 20 July accusing the RNA of using minors as spies.

Panama

Judge files complaint against journalist

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Supreme Court Justice Winston Spadafora has filed a complaint against journalist Jean Marcel Chéry of "La Prensa" newspaper for an 18 July 2005 article reporting that Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez had said that judges had to render accounts for their decisions, although Spadafora was scarcely mentioned in the article (see "Magistrados deben rendir cuentas: Gómez" in http://www.prensa.com/t.asp?d=050718p281675).

India

Journalists injured in grenade attack

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 August 2005 IFJ media release:

Tajikistan

Journalist sentenced to two years in prison

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Morocco

WPFC hails review of restrictive media laws

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 26 July 2005 WPFC letter to Moroccan King Muhammad VI:

Côte d'Ivoire

CAPSULE REPORT: "Young Patriots" impose reign of terror in Abidjan

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

Yemen

Journalists targets of increasing violence amid unrest

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Cyprus

Turkish journalists barred from covering football match

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has expressed dismay over a decision by Cyprus to ban Turkish journalists based in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognised only by Turkey) from covering a football match on 26 July 2005.

Côte d'Ivoire

State broadcaster told to stop opposition coverage

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Nigeria

Airport security officers prevent newspaper editor from travelling

(MRA/IFEX) - On 25 July 2005, Ezuiche Ubani, "Thisday" newspaper's editor-at-large, was prevented from travelling to Ghana by agents of the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria's intelligence service.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Publisher arrested

(JED/IFEX) - Jean Pierre Phambu Lutette, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "La Tolerance", was arrested by judicial inspectors in the early afternoon hours of 28 July 2005. He was immediately taken to the holding cell of the Kinshasa/Gombe Courts Monitoring Board, commonly known as the "Court Locker".

Brazil

Sao Paulo court forces consumers' organization to remove its report on medication tests from magazine

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 24 June 2005, "ProTeste" magazine, published by the Brazilian Association for Defence of the Consumer (Associação Brasileira de Defesa do Consumidor), was prevented by a Sao Paulo court from distributing its latest issue containing an article about the results of their tests evaluating blood pressure-stabilising medications. The ruling came in response to a legal action by two drug manufacturers, who were unhappy with the results. According to the association's spokesperson - Vera Lúcia Ramos - the Sao Paulo court has prohibited "ProTeste" from revealing the names of the two firms involved.

Nigeria

Security agents seek to censor publications

(MRA/IFEX) - Anambra State operatives of the State Security Services (SSS), Nigeria's intelligence service, are attempting to stop the circulation of publications that carry information on the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

Belarus

Journalists arrested amid tension with Poland

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has urged the Belarusian authorities to stop hounding and arresting journalists from the country's Polish minority as part of the government's present conflict with neighbouring Poland.

Sierra Leone

Editor of "For Di People" newspaper dies following assault

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is deeply shocked at the death on 27 July 2005 of "For Di People" editor Harry Yansaneh. The journalist died of kidney problems apparently caused by an assault he suffered on 10 May.

Sri Lanka

Deputy minister threatens several journalists and media owners

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 26 July 2005 FMM press release:

Peru

Journalists assaulted by Iquitos airport security guard

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the morning of 15 July 2005, journalists Hector Tintaya Feria, of Radio La Voz de la Selva, and Carlos Ampuero, of Amazonica de Television-Channel 2, were assaulted by an airport security guard as they attempted to enter the arrivals area (from which the public is excluded) of the Iquitos airport, in Loreto region, northeastern Peru. The journalists had gone to the airport to cover the arrival of International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) officials. [Iquitos journalists customarily have access to the airport's arrivals area when public figures are arriving.]

Ukraine

Journalist given suspended three-year sentence for publishing false political advertising

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the severity of the suspended three-year prison sentence handed down to Vasyl Herus, former editor-in-chief of the weekly "Sim Dniv" ("Seven Days"), for publishing a false electoral programme for Viktor Yushchenko, in the form of political advertising, days ahead of the second round of presidential elections.

Philippines

Valencia City radio station closed; journalists excluded from government press briefings

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Nepal

Riot police arrest six journalists at public rally

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Saudi Arabia

Appeals court confirms harsh sentences for reformists

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a Human Rigths Watch press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist released

(JED/IFEX) - On 25 July 2005, Jean-Marie Kanku, publisher of the Kinshasa-based weekly "L'Alerte", left his cell at Kinshasa's Penitentiary and Reeducation Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, CPRK, formerly Makala Central Prison). The journalist was granted a provisional release the same day by Mundari Djo Bamba, a lawyer at the Kinshasa/Gombe Prosecutor's Office.

Panama

WPFC urges President and National Assembly to take final steps to eliminate "insult" laws

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 21 July 2005 WPFC letter to Panamanian President Martín Torrijos Espino:

Iran

Denial of justice continues for hunger-striking journalist Akbar Ganji

(RSF/IFEX) - With no sign of improvement in the health of hunger-striking journalist Akbar Ganji since his transfer to hospital, RSF has voiced outrage over the behaviour of the judicial authorities and held them responsible for his slow drift towards death.

International

British government imposes "bizarre rules" over journalists' access to EU events

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 July 2005 joint media release by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an IFJ regional group, and the Association of Foreign Correspondents in Brussels (API):

Tunisia

Imprisoned lawyer Mohammed Abbou begins hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called for the immediate release of Tunisian lawyer Mohammed Abbou following his 25 July 2005 announcement that he had begun another hunger strike. Abbou has been in prison since 1 March for daring to express his views online.

China

Internet journalist jailed for defamation

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 26 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Côte d'Ivoire

Pro-government militia attack private newspapers

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 26 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Colombia

Television cameraman leaves Buenaventura due to threats

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 24 July 2005, Fanor Zúñiga Hurtado, a camera operator with "Mas Noticias", a local television news programme in the western city of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, left the region after having received various threats since mid-March.

Burundi

Eight journalists detained, released as radio station remains closed

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Venezuela

Journalist threatened by National Guard regional commander

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 20 July 2005, Yamile Jiménez Uzcategui, a correspondent for the RCTV television station, accused General Jaime Jose Escalante Hernandez, chief of the First Regional Command of the National Guard, of intimidating and threatening her. The incident occurred in the city of San Cristobal, State of Tachira, on the Colombian border.

Vietnam

CPJ concerned about health of imprisoned Internet writer

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Zambia

Journalists detained, questioned

(MISA/IFEX) - On 25 July 2005, reporters George Chella, Nomusa Michelo and Stephen Bwalya, of the privately-owned daily newspaper, "The Post", were questioned for more than five hours over statements made by opposition leader Michael Sata that appeared in the paper's 21 July edition. Sata had spoken out demanding humane treatment while in detention over a charge of sedition.

Ghana

Television crew detained

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 22 July 2005, a crew from TV Africa, an Accra-based independent television station, was arrested and detained for about two hours by security personnel at President John Agyekum Kufuor's private home.

Pakistan

Indian journalist refused entry on arrival in Lahore

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has written to Pakistani Foreign Affairs Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, voicing surprise at the action of the authorities in refusing entry to Indian journalist Harider Baweja, of the privately-owned weekly "Tehelka", on her arrival at Lahore international airport (in the eastern province of Punjab) on 22 July 2005. The journalist was denied entry despite the fact she had a valid seven-day visa. She was told she was on a blacklist.

Bolivia

Smugglers beat up camera operator in Oruro

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage over the physical attack on camera operator Freddy Calderón, of ATB Canal 9 television, who was beaten up by a gang of smugglers in the western city of Oruro on 22 July 2005.

Cuba

Independent journalist arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the arrest of independent journalist Oscar Mario González, of the Grupo de Trabajo Decoro news agency, who was detained at the same time as at least 15 other dissidents on the morning of 22 July 2005.

Zimbabwe

Police arrest protesters, unleash dogs and teargas at NCA demonstration

(MISA/IFEX) - On 21 July 2005, a woman was severely mauled by police dogs and 33 people were arrested when riot police violently disrupted a peaceful demonstration by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Thailand

Corporation sues local media company for libel

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Picnic Corporation, a cooking gas conglomerate, has filed two lawsuits against Matichon Plc, a leading Thai media company, for libel. The company is seeking a total of Bht15 billion (approx. US$360.5 million) in compensation, the single largest fine ever sought against local media.

Bahrain

Protesters severely beaten at demonstration

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a 22 July 2005 Human Right Watch press release:

Bangladesh

Journalists receive death threats, charged with extortion after reporting on ruling party corruption and violence; IFJ calls for journalists to be protected and charges dropped

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release

Nepal

Editor receives death threats; public broadcaster fires 21 journalists

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Malaysia

Internet journalists and websites harassed; investigation of news website Malaysiakini closed

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Attacks on Malaysian Internet journalists and bloggers show no sign of decreasing despite the perceived positive attitude towards the media adopted by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Pakistan

Reporter arrested and detained overnight

(PPF/IFEX) - Rashid Channa, a reporter for the "Star", a Karachi evening daily published by the Dawn Group of Newspapers, was arrested by police on the afternoon of 24 July 2005 and detained for about 12 hours before being released at 1:00 a.m. (local time) the following day. On 25 July, Channa was charged with "attempted murder" of a person he claims he had never heard of before.

Pakistan

Three homemade bombs thrown into journalist's home in Gilgit

(PPF/IFEX) - On 23 July 2005, unknown persons threw three homemade bombs into the home of Khursheed Ahmed, bureau chief of the daily "Khabrain" in the city of Gilgit, capital of Pakistan's Northern Areas. Ahmed is also president of the Gilgit Press Club. Two of the three bombs detonated while the third did not explode. The blasts caused damage to the roof of the home and smashed a toilet, but caused no injuries to the seven persons in the house. The attackers fled the scene under the cover of darkness.

Venezuela

Community television journalists assaulted during demonstration in Caracas

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 19 July 2005, Johan Pérez and Leidy Figueroa, members of the production team of community television station Catia TV, were attacked as they covered a march organised by the deans of several of the country's public universities.

Serbia / Montenegro

Government makes new changes to Broadcast Act

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is an ANEM statement:

Burundi

Police shutter independent radio station

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Pakistan

Fight against hate media risks being used as a pretext to curb free expression, warns RSF

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has expressed concern over abuses during a massive security operation against Islamist extremist groups, including police action against several Karachi-based publications.

Brazil

Porto Alegre newspaper found guilty of "insult" and defamation

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 12 July 2005, "Jornal Já" newspaper, published in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, was ordered to pay a 31,600 real (approx. US$13,400) fine to Julieta Diniz Vargas Rigotto, mother of State Governor Germano Rigotto, of the Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (Partido do Movimento Democrático, PMDB), after a court found newspaper owner Elmar Bones, who had written the article, guilty of "insult" and defamation. The sentence cannot be appealed.

Cameroon

Newspaper editor released after being held for two weeks

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed the release of "Le Front" editor-in-chief Joseph Bessala Ahanda on 21 July 2005, two days after a delegation of journalists met the director of criminal affairs at the Justice Ministry.

Burma

RSF says ASEAN must prevent Burma from taking over its rotating presidency

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an open letter from RSF to the Secretary-General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN):

Sudan

Ban on daily "Khartoum Monitor" lifted

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir's 20 July 2005 decision lifting the ban on "Khartoum Monitor", an English-language daily. This follows the government's 10 July annoucement that it was ending censorship.

Cambodia

IFJ protests crackdown on free speech in Cambodia

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Peru

"La Ventana Indiscreta" television program director receives telephone threat

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 17 July 2005, Cecilia Valenzuela, director of the television programme "La Ventana Indiscreta", broadcasted the recording of a threatening call she received on her mobile phone on 9 July. During the call, a woman demanded that Valenzuela stop investigating the activities of the National Police and Interior Minister Felix Murazzo, and threatened to make public a compromising recording of the journalist in order to discredit her. The journalist accused Murazzo of being behind the threat.

Sierra Leone

Editor's health deteriorating following assault

(MFWA/IFEX) - The health of Harry Yanssaneh, editor of the privately-owned newspaper "For Di People", continues to deteriorate since he was assaulted on 10 May 2005 by thugs allegedly acting on the orders of Fatmata Hassan, a member of parliament of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

Serbia / Montenegro

Editor-in-chief of local weekly replaced by Valjevo municipal assembly appointee

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a press release by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

Lebanon

Slain journalist's wife says investigation needs full backing of Paris and Beirut

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 20 July 2005 RSF statement:

Serbia / Montenegro

Correspondent for Podgorica daily forced to leave UNDP press conference

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a letter by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

Paraguay

IAPA calls for more action to ensure that journalist's murder is solved

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 20 July 2005 IAPA press release:

Thailand

CPJ condemns imposition of emergency rule, calls on judiciary to uphold legal protections of freedom of speech and freedom of the press

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Iran

Dissident journalist Akbar Ganji gravely ill in hospital after more than a month on hunger strike

(WiPC/IFEX) - WiPC is alarmed about the deteriorating health of dissident journalist Akbar Ganji, who was reportedly transferred to hospital on 17 July 2005 where he is said to be gravely ill. Ganji, who was imprisoned in April 2000 and sentenced to six years for his dissident writings, suffers from acute asthma that according to prison doctors requires medical treatment by a specialist. This request was repeatedly blocked by prison authorities until 29 May, when Ganji was granted one week's medical leave. On 7 June, a spokesman for the judiciary confirmed that Ganji was being granted extended leave from prison to receive specific treatment on the advice of a medical specialist, but Tehran's chief prosecutor overturned this decision and ordered that he be re-arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his medical leave by giving interviews to the press. Ganji returned to prison on 11 June without having received the recommended treatment, and has since been on hunger strike, taking only liquids. His weight has reportedly dropped to 55 kilograms. International PEN is calling for his immediate and unconditional release, and urges that he be granted full access to family visits and the specialist medical care that he requires.

International

Hellman/Hammett grants awarded to 27 persecuted writers from 17 countries

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a Human Rights Watch press release:

Morocco

Fund Against Censorship grant awarded to Moroccan publisher Ali Lmrabet

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 19 July 2005 WPFC press release:

Uzbekistan

Journalism student arrested by border guards; freelance reporter forced to flee into exile

(RSF/IFEX) - On 18 July 2005, Erkin Yakubjanov, a Kyrgyzstani journalism student who studies in Osh, southwestern Kyrgyzstan, was arrested by Uzbek border guards as he was investigating the 13 May crackdown on the rebellion in Andijan for the Dolina Mira radio network. In addition, freelance journalist Tulkin Karaev was forced to flee Uzbekistan on 2 July following systematic harassment by the authorities.

Burundi

Banned independent radio station stops broadcasts for two days

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Cuba

Imprisoned journalist threatens to starve himself to death

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced alarm over the fate of imprisoned journalist Mario Enrique Mayo Hernández, who announced in a message to the organisation that he began a hunger strike on 14 July 2005 and will starve himself to death if he is not released soon.

Pakistan

Karachi police raid offices of four publications, arrest two journalists and several newspaper vendors

(PPF/IFEX) - On 19 July 2005, police in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and media centre, raided the offices of a daily newspaper and three weekly magazines and arrested two journalists for publishing hate literature. Police also arrested newspaper vendors from various localities for selling the magazines.

Angola

Newspaper's coverage of government and ruling party activities increases in response to pressure from minister

(MISA/IFEX) - Three months after Deputy Minister of Information Miguel de Carvalho urged state-owned "Jornal de Angola" to give less space to the opposition, the country's only daily has significantly increased its coverage of government and ruling party activities, journalists have told MISA-Angola.

Mexico

Newspaper employees dragged from offices

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Oman

Playwright detained incommunicado; journalist and former MP sentenced to 18 months in prison for "insulting public officials"

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is an 18 July 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Burma

Press cartoonist Chit Swe arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF and the Burma Media Association (BMA) have protested the 12 July 2005 arrest of press cartoonist Chit Swe, who is also deputy chairman of the National League for Democracy's (NLD) Thanlyin branch.

Chad

Two journalists imprisoned for articles critical of the president

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe

ANZ denied licence to resume publication of banned "Daily News" and "Daily News on Sunday" newspapers

(MISA/IFEX) - On 18 July 2005, the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) was denied a licence to resume publication of the banned "Daily News" and "Daily News on Sunday" newspapers after the Media and Information Commission (MIC) ruled that it had breached sections of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Bangladesh

Ruling party supporters assault journalist, threaten three others

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Pakistan

Police raid weekly magazine's offices, arrest two journalists and six newspaper vendors

(PPF/IFEX) - On 16 July 2005, police in the city of Karachi arrested two journalists from the fundamentalist Urdu-language weekly magazine "Zarb-i-Islam" and six newspaper vendors for spreading "hate literature".

Chile

Neo-Nazis paint graffiti and swastikas outside of national television station's studios

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the threatening graffiti and swastikas that were spray painted on the outside of the studios of TVN, in the central city of Valparaíso. The incident occurred on 15 July 2005, after the national television station broadcast a programme about Chile's neo-Nazi groups.

Brazil

Journalist fired following report on slave labour

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 21 June 2005, Cícero Belmar, executive director of "Jornal do Commercio" newspaper in Pernambuco State, was fired after authorising the publication of a report on slave labour in the state.

Serbia / Montenegro

Broadcaster forced to evacuate following threat

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Brazil

Businessman launches legal action against journalists for defamation and insult

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 10 July 2005, businessman Nelson Tanure, owner of the "Gazeta Mercantil" and "Jornal do Brasil" newspapers, launched legal action against Aziz Filho (president of the Rio de Janeiro Journalists' Union), Fred Ghedini (president of the São Paulo Journalists' Union), Murilo Fiuza de Melo (reporter for "Lide" magazine) and Luiz Chaves (president of the Rio de Janeiro Metalworkers' Union) for defamation and insult.

Hong Kong (China)

IFJ condemns government interference in public service broadcaster's programming decisions

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Hong Kong (China)

HKJA and ARTICLE 19 publish annual report, urge chief executive to adopt new approach to media freedom

(HKJA/ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 17 July 2005 HKJA/ARTICLE 19 joint press release:

Thailand

SEAPA denounces move to grant prime minister emergency powers

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 16 July 2005 SEAPA statement:

Ghana

Newspaper editor, two directors jailed

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 4 July 2005, an Accra high court sentenced Frank Boahene, editor of the independent "Free Press" newspaper, based in Accra, to 15 days in prison for contempt of court.

Cuba

Authorities rough up independent journalist, detain her for seven hours

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has deplored the use of violence by State Security and National Revolutionary Police on the Isle of Youth against Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero of the Nueva Prensa Cubana news agency. On 14 July 2005, she was roughed up, held for seven hours and fined for resisting the authorities as she was about to travel to the Cuban mainland.

Zimbabwe

Photojournalist arrested and detained for more than four hours

(MISA/IFEX) - On 8 July 2005, award-winning veteran photojournalist Fidelis Zvomuya was detained by police for more than four hours while covering the ongoing home demolition campaign dubbed Operation Restore Order.

Serbia / Montenegro

ANEM demands investigation into threats against B92, protests proposed amendment to Public Information Act

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is a 16 July 2005 ANEM statement:

Côte d'Ivoire

Radio France Internationale suspended

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Peru

IAPA concerned about law that poses further restrictions on access to information

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 13 July 2005 IAPA press release:

Cameroon

Government lifts two-year ban on Freedom FM radio station; CPJ urges government to provide compensation for damages resulting from closure

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Burundi

Independent radio station faces government ban

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe

MISA-Zimbabwe statement on the Code of Conduct and Media Council Project

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a 14 July 2005 MISA press release:

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur maintains ban on import of "Epoch Times" to safeguard relations with China

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF wrote to Malaysia's Internal Security Ministry on 15 July 2005 saying its decision to maintain an import ban on all copies of the "Epoch Times" newspaper on diplomatic grounds was a serious press freedom violation.

China

China bans electronic media partnerships with foreign companies

(RSF/IFEX) - A ban on partnerships between Chinese electronic media and foreign media groups, introduced on 13 July 2005, "jams the brakes on liberalisation initiatives begun last year and once again shows that the Chinese government is bent on keeping the press firmly under its yoke," RSF said.

Oman

Poet and journalist Abdallah Al-Ryami jailed for criticising human rights violations

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the 12 July 2005 arrest of poet and journalist Abdallah Al-Ryami for criticising human rights violations in Oman and deplored the strict censorship of writers and journalists by Omani authorities in the past few months.

Ukraine

Two journalists attacked in southern city of Kherson

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on the Ukrainian authorities to give journalists better protection after photographer Maxim Soloviev and reporter Natalia Kozarenko from the weekly "Vhoru" were physically attacked and their equipment was taken on 12 July 2005 in the southern city of Kherson.

Russia

CPJ seeks investigation into cameraman's death at drag-race site

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Colombia

Threats confine newspaper editor to his home

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on the authorities to provide adequate protection for Wilmar Jaramillo Velásquez, the founder and editor of the monthly "El Pregonero del Darien", who is being threatened and harassed by local officials in the town of Apartadó in the northwestern department of Antioquia.

Burundi

Radio station suspended for indefinite period

(JED/IFEX) - On 15 July 2005, Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), a privately-owned station based in the capital Bujumbura, was suspended for an "indefinite period" by the National Communication Council (Conseil National de la Communication, CNC), the body that regulates the media in Burundi.

Thailand

CAPSULE REPORT: All eyes on Thailand as landmark trial on freedom of expression set to start

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 14 July 2005 SEAPA report:

Bangladesh

Violent attacks on the press continue

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Somalia

"Shacab" editor freed; newspaper remains suspended

(CPJ/IFEX) -The following is a 14 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Haiti

Kidnapped journalist's body found

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Mexico / Colombia / International

Cameraman shot in Buenaventura, Colombia; another journalist receives death threat in Mexico; IAPA calls for probes into journalists' murders, assaults in Brazil and Venezuela

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 12 July 2005 IAPA press release:

Sudan

Government announces end of censorship, but "Khartoum Monitor" stays closed

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has hailed President Omar Hassan Al Bashir's 10 July 2005 announcement of the lifting of the state of emergency, but called for this to be followed quickly by real and significant press freedom improvements.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Minister accused of misappropriating funds has journalist jailed in Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - Jean Marie Kanku, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "L'Alerte", has been detained in a cell at the Kinshasa/Gombe High Court Prosecutor's Office since 12 July 2005. The journalist was taken there after spending the night of 11 July in a cell at the Kinshasa/Kalamu High Court Prosecutor's Office, where judicial inspectors had lured him into a trap.

Burma

Three men jailed for consuming "unauthorised" information

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Just two days after releasing 200 political prisoners, including two journalists, Burma's military junta jailed three opposition supporters for possessing and consuming "unauthorised" information.

Zimbabwe

"Tribune" denied licence

(MISA/IFEX) - Zimbabwe's government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC) has denied Africa Tribune Newspapers (ATN), publishers of the weekly "Tribune" newspaper, an operating licence to resume publication, saying the company had failed to meet the Commission's legal requirements.

Tunisia

IFEX-TMG launches website on free expression in Tunisia; challenges Tunisian government to end Internet blocking prior to WSIS

(IFEX-TMG) - The following is an IFEX-TMG press release:

Brazil

Journalist receives death threat from Piauí State Assembly representative

(IPYS/IFEX) - Journalist Efrém Ribeiro has reported that Piauí State Assembly Representative Homero Castelo Branco threatened him on 16 June 2005, at the Assembly building. Ribeiro believes he received the death threat in retaliation for an article of his published in the Teresina, Piauí newspaper "Meio Norte", about charges filed in the Regional Federal Court (Tribunal Regional Federal) against the representative, for alleged falsification of public documents, swindle, and tax crimes.

Iran

Human Rights Watch extremely concerned about imprisoned journalist's health

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - The following is a Human Rights Watch press release:

Somalia

Two Puntland journalists freed, but harassment continues

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 13 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Peru

Judge bars selected media from press conference

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 11 July 2005, Robinson Gonzáles Campos, presiding magistrate of the First Criminal Provisional Bench of the Supreme Court, barred certain media from a press conference, alleging that they had twisted his previous statements and insulted his work. The conference was being held to explain the reasons for the decision to release several people serving sentences for corruption, taken by the court over which Gonzáles presides.

Haiti

Journalist kidnapped in Port-au-Prince

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced concern over the 10 July 2005 kidnapping of Jacques Roche, editor of the daily "Le Matin"'s arts and culture section. His abductors have threatened to kill him unless a US$250,000 ransom is paid.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Media regulator lifts suspension order on RAGA TV

(JED/IFEX) - RAGA TV, a station belonging to the Kinshasa-based, privately-owned RAGA media group, began broadcasting again on 11 July 2005 following a 10 day-suspension. The order had been handed down by the national media regulator (Haute Autorité des Médias, HAM). RAGA Plus station was also authorised to resume broadcasting at the same time.

Uzbekistan

Media training organisation harassed

(RSF/IFEX) - On 11 July 2005, the government officially accused members of the media training organisation Internews Network of writing articles and filming without the required permits. Two of the organisation's members have been threatened with six months in prison under Article 190 (2)b of the Criminal Code.

Iraq

Filmmaker and cameraman released after being held for 54 days

(RSF/IFEX) - On 10 July 2005, the United States (US) army freed Cyrus Kar, an American documentary filmmaker of Iranian origin, and Farshid Faraji, his Iranian cameraman, after holding them for 54 days at a US base in Iraq.

Iran

Blogger cleared of charges of "insult to prophets", still faces two-year sentence for "insulting the Supreme Guide"

(RSF/IFEX) - On 28 June 2005, a Tehran court cleared blogger Mojtaba Saminejad of charges of "insulting the prophets", for which he faced the death penalty. Saminejad must still serve a two-year sentence, however, for "insulting the Supreme Guide".

United States

PATRIOT Act must not be re-authorised, says PEN American Center

(PEN/IFEX) - The following is an 11 July 2005 PEN American Center press release:

Lesotho

Anonymous callers threaten guests of phone-in show

(MISA/IFEX) - On 11 July 2005, the phone-in talk show programme "Lijo'a Ke Baeti", broadcast on Catholic Radio (CR) FM, was interrupted by anonymous callers who threatened one of the guests on the programme, Matlama Football Club Public Relations Officer Thabo Thakalekoala, vowing to kill him for "talking too much". Thakalekoala and Lesotho Defence Force Football Club Public Relations Officer Tseliso 'Jomo' Pholo were guests on the programme, which focused on the financial irregularities and inadequate monitoring of expenditure within the ranks of the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA).

Guatemala

Ex-paramilitaries attack journalists with machetes

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned an 11 July 2005 attack on three journalists by former members of the paramilitary Civilian Self-Defence Patrols (Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil, PAC) in the northeastern Chiquimula region. It is the second machete attack on journalists by ex-paramilitaries in four months.

Cuba

CAPSULE REPORT: Health of jailed journalists deteriorating; CPJ reiterates call for their immediate unconditional release

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 11 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Nepal

Maoist leaders call off house arrest of Ilam-based reporter

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 11 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Singapore

Police harass guests, organisers at book launch

(SEAPA/IFEX) - At the 9 July 2005 launch of the latest book by Singaporean opposition leader Chee Soon Juan, police harassed guests and organisers, reports coming from the city state say. Plainclothes officers were seen videotaping the proceedings while the Singapore Democratic Party website noted that after the launch, policemen questioned guests and confiscated videos on non-violent protests screened during the event.

Uzbekistan

Journalist brutally beaten in Bukhara region

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - Journalist Razhabboi Raupov was attacked by an unknown individual outside his home on 6 July 2005 at 2:30 p.m. (local time). The incident occured in Shafirkan district, Bukhara region. The attacker struck the journalist with an iron bar and fled the scene. Raupov suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the district hospital, where he underwent surgery. Doctors said the journalist remains in serious condition.

Afghanistan

Authorities release two journalists detained in Kabul

(RSF/IFEX) - Afghan authorities released Radio Azadi (Radio Free Europe) journalists Rohulla Anwari and Sheer Shah Hamdard at around midday (local time) on 10 July 2005. A local RSF representative managed to see the journalists but they refused to comment on why they had been detained. Some sources indicated they were waiting for the acting director of the Afghan service of Radio Free Europe to return to Prague before giving out any information.

Afghanistan

CPJ calls for release of two detained journalists; a third journalist and driver released

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 July 2005 CPJ letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai:

Ethiopia

Two more journalists arrested

(EFJA/IFEX) - Addis Ababa police arrested Fassil Yenalem, editor-in-chief of "Addis Zena" newspaper, on 11 July 2005 at 2:30 p.m. (local time). Yenalem is expected to appear in court on 12 July. It is not known if he is up on any charges or if he will be eligible for release on bail.

Venezuela

Press organisations call for thorough investigation into photojournalist's death

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 6 July 2005 press release:

Colombia

Former senator allegedly behind new threats against journalist Daniel Coronell

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 27 June 2005, journalist Daniel Coronell, director of the television news programme "Noticias Uno", reported on his opinion column, which appears in "Semana" magazine, that on 19 June he received an anonymous threatening e-mail. Information technology specialists hired by the journalist determined that the e-mail was sent from the home of former senator Carlos Nader Simmonds.

Peru

Journalists assaulted by protesters

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the morning of 8 July 2005, journalists Eduardo Liñán Castañeda of Channel 25 station, Álvaro Briones of Telenorte and camera operator Daniel Urday were physically and verbally assaulted by a group of angry citizens. The incident occurred while they were reporting on a meeting between local residents and the authorities at the offices of the Regional Agriculture Department (Dirección Regional de Agricultura) in Combayo, one hour from the city of Cajamarca, in northern Peru.

Botswana

Deported university professor appealing decision

(MISA/IFEX) - Deported University of Botswana political science lecturer Kenneth Good, now in London, is appealing the High Court judgement that allowed the government to expel him from the country on 1 June 2005, after he had been declared a "prohibited immigrant" in February.

Nepal

Editor Bhadranath Adhikary detained for 24 hours; Maoists release journalist Som Sharma

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - On 8 July 2005, the regional administrator for Nepal's central region, Rabindra Chakrabarty, summoned Bhadranath Adhikary, editor and publisher of the twice monthly newspaper "Grameen Samachar" ("Rural News"), published in the southern city of Birgunj, and detained him for over 24 hours.

Nepal

Ten international institutions to participate in freedom of expression and media rights mission to Nepal

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an 8 July 2005 IPI press release:

Ethiopia

Authorities continue to target journalists reporting on post-elections unrest; a number of journalists charged with defamation, three newspaper executives to appear in court

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Russia

CPJ urges Putin to end 'era of impunity' in journalists' murders

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Tunisia

IFLA/FAIFE protests restrictions on access to information in run-up to WSIS

(IFLA/FAIFE/IFEX) - The following is an IFLA/FAIFE media release:

Cameroon

Editor jailed for investigating corruption

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the 6 July 2005 detention of Joseph Bessala Ahanda, editor-in-chief of the weekly "Le Front", and accused the authorities of arresting him for investigation corruption. "We support the committee formed to press for Ahanda's release and call on Prosecutor Abena Protais to free him at once," the organisation said.

Nicaragua

Magazine manager alleges government's shut down order is politically motivated

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - On 15 June 2005, the General Taxation Division (Dirección General de Ingresos, DGI) shut down four publications, including the magazine "Trinchera de la Noticia", for alleged evasion of taxes.

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Forty journalists killed so far in 2005, says IPI

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Bangladesh

Intelligence agents beat up nine newspaper photographers

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage over the beatings meted out to nine photographers with national daily newspapers by members of Bangladesh's National Security Intelligence (NSI) on 7 July 2005 in Dhaka. All of the photographers were injured, three of them seriously.

Venezuela

"Últimas Noticias" news crew detained and threatened in Caracas

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 29 June 2005, a group of unidentified men surrounded, threatened and held captive journalist Mabel Sarmiento and photographer Cirilo Hernández, of the daily "Últimas Noticias". The news crew had been taking some photographs in the Andrés Eloy Blanco square, located beside the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Presidential Palace in Caracas.

Mexico

Ex-police chief detained in connection with photographer's murder

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Israel

French journalist turned back while trying to enter West Bank from Jordan

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the action of the Israeli authorities in turning back French journalist Houda Ibrahim, of Radio France Internationale (RFI), as she tried to cross into the West Bank from Jordan on 3 July 2005.

Brazil

Journalist fined for "moral damages"

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 24 June 2005, the Justice Department in Pará State, northern Brazil, ordered journalist Lúcio Flávio Pinto to pay a US$3,300 fine to Cecílio do Rego Almeida for "moral damages". The reporter had accused the businessman of real state fraud in 2000.

Chad

CPJ calls on government to cease criminal proceedings against three local journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to Chadian President Idriss Déby:

Venezuela

Angry crowd attacks "Diario de la Costa" staff

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 25 June 2005, approximately eighty people burst into the offices of the daily "Diario La Costa" in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo State, attacking the paper's staff over an article published that day. The article reported on a man who had died while trying to steal wire from electrical lines, according to information provided by the police.

Venezuela

Photographer assaulted in Caracas

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 29 June 2005, Juan Carlos Neida, a photographer for the daily "El Nuevo País", was assaulted and held by four men presumed to be members of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Dirección de Inteligencia Militar, DIM), after he took photos in the Caracas neighbourhood of Las Mercedes.

Tunisia

RSF releases report on free expression in Tunisia ahead of WSIS

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

Brazil

High Court agrees to hear case against journalist

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 15 June 2005, Brazil's High Court agreed to hear a case against journalist Cláudio Júlio Tognolli and Regional Attorney Luiz Francisco Fernandes de Souza for allegedly offending and slandering Senator Jorge Bornhausen in a 2003 story published on the "Consultor Jurídico" website.

Burma

Two imprisoned journalists released; five others remain behind bars

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Bolivia

Governmental anti-corruption watchdog stalls on journalist's information request

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Journalist Rodolfo Bluske has received no response so far to a letter he recently sent to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Delegation (Delegación Presidencial Anticorrupción), requesting information needed for an analysis of corruption cases reported in the Department of Tarija and the counter-measures taken by the Delegation there.

International

European Parliament decision on privacy rights "good for media freedom," says EFJ

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 July 2005 media release by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an IFJ regional group:

Philippines

Journalist receives death threats

(CMFR/IFEX) - A journalist in Bacolod City, south of Manila, was sent threatening messages on his mobile phone by unknown persons in the last week of June 2005.

Nigeria

Newspaper correspondent detained, questioned and released

(MRA/IFEX) - On 30 June 2005, Haruna Acheneje, a correspondent for "The Punch" newspaper in Akwa Ibom State, Niger Delta region, was arrested by agents of Nigeria's intelligence service, the State Security Service (SSS), in Uyo, the state capital.

United States

Journalist Judith Miller sentenced to prison for refusing to reveal source; Matthew Cooper agrees to cooperate with investigation

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Belarus

On fifth anniversary of his disappearance, RSF condemns regime's failure to solve case of missing camera operator Dmitri Zavadski

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF statement:

Afghanistan

Two Radio Free Europe reporters confirmed arrested, imprisoned

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 5 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Brazil

Radio journalist murdered

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF said it is "deeply shocked" by the 1 July 2005 murder of investigative journalist José Cândido Amorim Pinto of Rádio Comunitária Alternativa in Carpina, in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.

United States

IPI says continued pursuit of "Time" and "New York Times" journalists unreasonable; hearing to decide if they are to be jailed for civil contempt

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Philippines

Radio commentator received death threats prior to murder; CPJ research mission conclusions now available

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 5 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Malaysia

National Security Bureau halts distribution of "The Epoch Times" newspaper

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Chad

Two journalists released, one still held

(RSF/IFEX) - On 4 July 2005, a lower criminal court in N'Djamena ordered the release of "L'Observateur" journalists Samory Ngaradoumbé and Garondé Djarma, who were arrested on 22 June. "Le Temps" editor Michael Didama, who was arrested the same day on an unrelated charge, is still being held. A court is due to hear his case on 11 July.

Belarus

Opposition daily hit by three libel judgments

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 5 July 2005 CPJ press release:

Somalia

Two journalists imprisoned in Puntland; radio station shuttered

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Mali

Radio journalist abducted, beaten and left for dead

(WAJA/IFEX) - The following is a WAJA press release:

Russia

Islamist group claims responsibility for journalist's murder

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the killing of Magomedzagid Varisov, the second journalist to be murdered this year in Russia, and called on Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev to order an immediate investigation to identify both perpetrators and instigators and bring them to justice.

Burma

International PEN, RSF and Amnesty call for immediate release of editor U Win Tin

(International PEN/RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 4 July 2005 joint statement from International PEN, RSF and Amnesty International:

Azerbaijan

Parliament urged to adopt freedom of information law prior to November elections

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is an ARTICLE 19 open letter:

Tibet (China)

CAPSULE REPORT: Crackdown on press freedom and the right to information continues in Tibet

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF press release:

Nepal

Journalists continue to oppose repressive media policies, despite abductions, threats of violence and forced closure of media publications

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ report:

Latvia

WAN concerned at criminal prosecution and apparent intimidation campaign against daily

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a 4 July 2005 letter to Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis:

Iran

Journalist released on bail after 68 days in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has welcomed the 28 June 2005 release of journalist Yosef Azizi Banitrouf - following payment of $US25,000 in bail - but noted that four other journalists remain in prison in Iran. Banitrouf was arrested at his home on 25 April.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Several privately-owned stations suspended; journalists rounded up, harassed and assaulted

(JED/RSF/IFEX) - RSF and its partner organisation in Kinshasa, JED, have written to DRC President Joseph Kabila, "protesting the silencing of the privately-owned media group RAGA's stations, including RAGA FM, RAGA TV and RAGA Plus, and the rounding up of journalists who were covering a demonstration by UDPS party activists in Kinshasa on 30 June 2005."

Russia

AFP correspondent Ali Astamirov kidnapped exactly two years ago in Ingushetia

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to order the revival of the investigation into the disappearance of Agence France-Presse Ingushetia and Chechnya correspondent Ali Astamirov. Astamirov disappeared two years ago after he was abducted by gunmen in front of fellow journalists on 4 July 2003 in the village of Altievo, 3 km from Nazran, Ingushetia's main city.

Ethiopia

Five more journalists arrested in post election crackdown

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has protested the Ethiopian government's "unacceptable rigidity" after the arrest on 30 June 2005 of five more senior journalists and called on the international community to bear in mind this official treatment of the country's independent press in its relations with Ethiopia.

Afghanistan

IFJ concerned by reports that four foreign journalists detained, on hunger strike

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Iraq

Television producer abducted and shot dead in Mosul

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage at the abduction and killing of television producer Khaled Sabih Al Attar on 1 July 2005. The producer with Iraqi public television station Al-Irakiya was killed in the northern city of Mosul.

Iraq

IFJ calls for independent probe into three media killings involving US troops

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 July 2005 IFJ media release:

Albania

Television journalist assaulted by mayor

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the violent assault by Korca Mayor Robert Damo on television journalist Juliana Dhimitri, who filmed his debate with an election rival for the television station Top Channel TV on 26 June 2005.

Sierra Leone

IPI and WAN call for repeal of seditious libel law under which editor is currently imprisoned

(WAN/IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 1 July 2005 joint IPI and WAN letter to President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah:

China

Court upholds 10-year sentence for journalist Shi Tao

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 June 2005 CPJ press release:

Philippines

Radio journalist killed

(CMFR/IFEX) - Late in the afternoon on 3 July 2005, Rolando Morales, a local radio commentator in southern Philippines, was brutally killed after suffering 15 gunshot wounds in an attack in southwestern Mindanao. Morales, 43, had just finished hosting his Sunday programme at a local radio station when eight unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen ambushed him along a highway in General Santos City, more than 600 kilometers south of Manila.

Botswana

Media worker harassed

(MISA/IFEX) - Vanessa Chikuzunga, production assistant for the Customer Watchdog programme, broadcast on Monday mornings on GabzFM radio station, was recently threatened in a shop in Gaborone. A security guard and a staff person escorted her to the manager's office demanding that she hand over the notebook she was using to record prices and expiry dates.

Angola

Huila province journalists express concern about governor's comments

(MISA/IFEX) - On 17 June 2005, Ramos da Cruz, governor of Angola's northern Huila province, accused the provincial National Radio of attempting to create an "unstable environment" in the province by airing a story about a delay in the payment of salaries to public servants.

Romania

IFJ protests sudden changes to national radio and television law reinforcing political control of public broadcasting

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Lesotho

Journalist, radio station manager threatened

(MISA/IFEX) - On the morning of 30 June 2005, Masupha Jobo, presenter of the phone-in talk show "Lijo'a Ke Baeti", broadcast on Catholic Radio (CR) FM, and the station's manager, Sister Clementine Thatho, received threatening calls in connection with the programme that Jobo was hosting that day.

United States

IFJ condemns Time-Warner decision to hand over reporter's notebook

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Bahrain

IFJ condemns intimidation and threats against newspaper editor-in-chief

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Nepal

Two journalists held for 15 months without charge; another journalist required to report to authorities

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Mexico

CPJ calls on Oaxaca governor to end newspaper blockade

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 June 2005 CPJ letter to the Governor of the State of Oaxaca:

International / United States

CAPSULE REPORT: CPJ says U.S. court decisions on journalists' right to safeguard their sources send the wrong message to the world

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 June 2005 CPJ statement:

Democratic Republic of Congo

CPJ condemns harassment of journalists covering opposition protests

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 June 2005 CPJ press release:

Colombia

CPJ alarmed about President Uribe's comments

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 June 2005 CPJ press release: