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Alerts - 2005 - October-December

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Kazakhstan

Court suspends opposition paper for insulting the president

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

Iran

National Security Council bans satellite channel Saba TV

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has deplored the banning of satellite TV station Saba TV by Iran's Supreme National Security Council as one more example of the battle by the country's media for freedom of expression.

Nigeria

Newspaper photographer beaten unconscious by police in Oyo State

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has reiterated its dismay about police violence against journalists in Nigeria after a newspaper photographer was beaten senseless on 22 December 2005 by police working for the Oyo state governor. It was the 19th case of police brutality against the media to come to the press freedom organisation's attention this year in Nigeria.

Pakistan

Ban on foreign stations puts cable TV operators under pressure

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned an order issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on 22 December 2005 instructing cable TV operators to stop carrying some 30 foreign TV channels, threatening fines and arrest. Most of the banned channels are Indian.

Egypt

Two journalists face prison sentences; columnist summoned and interrogated by state security officials

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the continued hounding of journalists in Egypt and called on President Hosni Mubarak to keep his pledge, made to parliament on 19 December 2005, to allow press freedom to flourish.

Belarus

CPJ deplores new law that criminalizes criticism of the state and Lukashenko

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

China

"New York Times" researcher Zhao Yan charged with leaking state secrets

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

Iraq

CPJ protests criminal prosecution of local reporters

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 December 2005 CPJ letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari:

Spain

WPFC calls for dismantling of Catalan regulatory body urging revocation of radio network's license

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 23 December 2005 WPFC letter to Catalan authorities:

Nigeria

Two journalists charged with "false reporting", remanded in custody

(MRA/IFEX) - On 23 December 2005, two journalists with the privately-owned radio station Rhythm 93.7 FM, in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State in the Niger Delta region, were arraigned before a Port Harcourt High Court on charges of broadcasting "false information" and remanded in custody until 3 January 2006.

Zimbabwe

Radio station director freed on bail

(RSF/IFEX) - The director of the privately-owned Voice of the People radio station, John Masuku, who was arrested on 19 December 2005, was freed on December 23 on bail of 4 million Zimbabwean dollars (approximately 40 euros) but will have to report to the police every week. He is due to appear before the Harare high court on 13 January 2006 on a charge of owning and using broadcast equipment without a licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ).

Pakistan

Newspaper office attacked by armed men opposed to pro-dam advertisements

(PPF/IFEX) - On 23 December 2005, a group of armed men threw a petrol bomb into the offices of the Sukkur edition of the Sindhi-language daily newspaper "Khabroon," setting the reception area on fire. The attackers hurled threats at the newspaper staff and fired shots into the air.

Mexico

Journalist threatened for reporting on police involvement in criminal activities; RSF urges transfer of investigation to federal authorities

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on the federal authorities to take charge of investigating attempts to intimidate crime reporter Claudia Padilla Pacheco of the local daily "Correo" in Celaya, in the central state of Guanajuato. The journalist received threats after she wrote two investigative reports about the alleged implication of local police in criminal activity.

Serbia / Montenegro

Government encroaches on broadcast council's jurisdiction with frequency pledge

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

Niger

Member of National Assembly assaults journalist

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 8 December 2005, Moussa Aksar, managing editor of the independent weekly newspaper "L'Evenement," was assaulted by a member of the National Assembly, Sanoussi Jakou, for allegedly tarnishing the image of the legislator's family.

Singapore

High court judge dismisses lawsuit charging government with suppressing free speech

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) has expressed alarm over the recent ruling by a Singaporean High Court judge to dismiss a lawsuit which charged the country's public institutions with trampling the rights of their citizens to free assembly and free speech.

Tajikistan

BBC reporter briefly detained by border guards

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a 22 December 2005 statement by the National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT), an Adil Soz partner:

Thailand

Former "Bangkok Post" editor sues daily, claims interference in paper's editorial policy by management and government

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 20 December 2005, a former senior editor of Bangkok's English daily, "Bangkok Post", sued the newspaper for unfairly sacking him in August following a publication on the newspaper's front page of a "flawed" report he was responsible for about cracks in the runway of Thailand's new international airport.

Niger

Journalist sentenced to eight-month suspended prison term

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 20 December 2005, the Magistrate Court in Agadez, a town about 1000 km from Niamey, sentenced Hamed Assaleh Raliou, a regional correspondent of Radio France International (RFI), to an eight-month suspended prison term for allegedly defaming Yahya Yandaka, the governor of the region.

Gabon

Journalist violently beaten by police

"(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of RSF's statement:

Malaysia

Six activists detained overnight for protesting at ASEAN summit

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA is protesting the recent arrest and detention of six peaceful demonstrators during the gathering of Southeast Asian leaders in Kuala Lumpur. Such actions are a blatant violation of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly rights, which are both enshrined within the Malaysian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), said SEAPA's statement.

International

Special mandates for freedom of expression adopt joint declaration

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:

Mexico

Investigative journalist faces possible prison sentence for libel

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced alarm at the possibility that Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, a writer and freelance contributor to the Cancún-based daily "La Voz del Caribe", could receive a prison sentence for alleged libel in a 2004 book about a pedophile ring.

Sri Lanka

CPJ deeply concerned about recent attacks on ethnic Tamil journalists as unrest escalates

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

Ethiopia

Journalists face antistate charges; Voice of America staffers among those named

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

Nepal

Two journalists injured by police, another manhandled and detained briefly

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES, a Kathmandu-based press freedom monitoring group, has condemned the attack on journalist Laxmi Mishra and the manhandling of journalist Yem Birahi by security personnel in separate incidents.

Afghanistan

High Court allows release of journalist Ali Mohaqiq Nasab

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced relief after the Kabul High Court allowed the release from jail of Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, editor of the magazine "Haqoq-e-Zan" ("Women's Rights") after reducing a two-year sentence imposed for blasphemy.

Cambodia

Courts used to muzzle political opponents

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 20 December 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Maldives

Campaign to free Jennifer Latheef grows as her third month in prison ends

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the organisation Friends of Maldives are taking part in a mounting international campaign for the release of the daily "Minivan"'s young photojournalist Jennifer Latheef, who is completing her third month of a 10-year prison sentence for a supposed "terrorist act."

Mexico

Journalist detained and charged with defamation

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 December 2005 CPJ press release:

Croatia

Journalists, radio workers receive death threats

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

Albania

Media house attacked

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

China

Police shut down gay, lesbian event

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 20 December 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Nigeria

Security agents close radio station briefly, detain journalists overnight

(MRA/IFEX) - On 17 December 2005, armed policemen and agents of the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria's intelligence service, shut down a privately-owned radio station, Rhythm 93.7 FM, in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The security agents also arrested David Obi, Head of News, and Loknan Dombim, Programmes Manager, of the station and detained them overnight.

Cuba

Police cannot find file of ailing journalist held for past five months without trial

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 20 December 2005 RSF press release:

Pakistan

CPJ urges progress in tribal-area kidnapping probe, calls on authorities to find those responsible for bomb attack on journalist's home

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 December 2005 CPJ letter to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf:

Indonesia

CPJ condemns government ban of critical radio station

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

Lebanon

CPJ urges UN Secretary-General to widen Hariri murder probe to attacks on three journalists

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

Morocco

Morocco puts US censorship busting site Anonymizer.com on its black list

(RSF/IFEX) - The Moroccan government has blocked the US website http://www.Anonymizer.com, which allows Internet users to get around censorship, days after Reporters Without Borders recommended its use to access Sahrawi websites. These websites, promoting independence for Western Sahara, have been censored since the beginning of December 2005.

Tajikistan

Jailed journalist finally freed after bureaucratic obstruction

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

United Arab Emirates

Freelance journalist arrested briefly, passport taken, for writing about moustaches

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate return of freelance journalist V. M. Sathish's passport that was confiscated when he was briefly arrested in Dubai on 13 December 2005 for allegedly libelling a jewellery chain by reporting that it ordered its employees to shave off their beards and moustaches.

International

In her year-end message, IAPA president welcomes elimination of "insult" laws in several countries, condemns violence against journalists

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 16 December 2005 IAPA press release:

Peru

Journalists assaulted, video camera stolen

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 10 December 2005, journalist Rosemberg Valverde and her assistant José Carlos Ponce de León, both of Frecuencia Latina television, were assaulted when attempting to interview the mother of a murdered man alleged to have been a hired killer. During the assault, the journalists' video camera was stolen. The incident took place in Leoncio Prado, in the central region of Huánuco.

Sri Lanka

Three journalists beaten by government soldiers

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 19 December 2005 FMM press release:

Sri Lanka

Military searches newspaper office in Jaffna

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 15 December 2005 FMM press release:

Peru

CPJ welcomes convictions in murder of radio journalist

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist released after 48 hours in detention in Kasumbalesa

(JED/IFEX) - Dany Zahira Sefu, a journalist from RTD (Radiotélévision Deogracias) - a local NGO-owned station broadcast from Kasumbalesa, a town on the Zambian border in the Democratic Republic of Congo's south-east - was released on 16 December 2005 in Lubumbashi by the presidential military group GSSP (Groupe Spécial de Sécurité Présidentielle) after having spent 48 hours in detention in a military prison in Kasumbalesa.

International / Peru

Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay and Peru backsliding on access to information, warns IAPA

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 16 December 2005 IAPA press release:

South Korea

Probe into secret service phone tapping scandal clears everyone except journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on South Korean Justice Minister Chun Jung-Bae to seek a revision to the conclusions of a public prosecutor's investigation into telephone tapping by the South Korean secret services a decade ago "insofar as the prosecutor's decisions violate the freedom of the press that is guaranteed by the constitution."

Zimbabwe

Voice of the People director detained; three others released

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

Burkina Faso

ARTICLE 19 urges president to improve access to information

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 12 December 2005 ARTICLE 19 letter to Burkina Faso Prime Minister Blaise Compaore:

Brazil

Police impede the work of a photojournalist, accost editor

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 16 December 2005, photojournalist Eduardo Alves and editor Sérgio Marques were briefly detained by military police in Franca, São Paulo, after arguing with soldiers over their right to take photographs in the city's central plaza. Both men work for the daily newspaper "Comércio de Franca."

Turkey

CAPSULE REPORT: International PEN calls for halt to all trials against writers, publishers and journalists accused of "insult"

(WiPC/IFEX) - The following is a 16 December 2005 International PEN statement:

The Gambia

Journalists barred from site of editor's murder on 1st anniversary

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

The Gambia

Outcry for justice persists one year after journalist Deyda Hydara's murder

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has issued a new appeal to President Yahya Jammeh, on the eve of the first anniversary of journalist Deyda Hydara's murder on 16 December 2004, urging him to acknowledge the Gambian investigators' inability to solve the case and asking him to request the help of a neutral foreign police force.

Colombia

Journalist threatened again for reporting on the annulment of elections

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 2 October 2005, journalist Enrique Camargo announced that he had received threats after reporting on the Counsel of State's decision to annul the mayoral election in Aguachica, a municipality in southern Cesar department. On 10 December, he was threatened anew after reporting again on the same topic.

Albania

Journalist assaulted

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

Greece

Two journalists assaulted

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

Poland

IPI concerned about legal actions aimed at intimidating "Polityka"'s staff

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

Afghanistan

Journalist dead after beating, death threats; another journalist caught in bomb blast

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

Indonesia

Radio station closure a threat to democracy, access to information

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

Mexico

Senate postpones debate on much-criticised radio and television law amendments

(AMARC/IFEX) - On 13 December 2005, the coordinators of the parliamentary political blocks and the coordinating body of the Senate decided to postpone the detailed discussion of the Federal Radio and Television Law amendments proposed by the Chamber of Representatives until the next ordinary period of Senate sessions, scheduled to begin in February 2006. This decision was [in part] prompted by the numerous criticisms of the amendments voiced by experts, civil society organizations, the Federal Competition Commission and even many private owners of the local and regional radio stations.

Iraq / United States

Pentagon propaganda campaign in Iraq media undermines press ethics, credibility, says IPI

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld:

Turkey

PEN observers describe "ugly and violent" scenes in Orhan Pamuk court appearance

(WiPC/IFEX) - On 16 December 2005, the Sisli No. 2 Court of First Instance in Istanbul announced that the hearing against Orhan Pamuk, one of Turkey's most eminent writers, would be adjourned until 7 February 2006. His trial dossier is apparently still with the Ministry of Justice in Ankara for consideration that Pamuk be tried under the old penal code that was repealed on 1 June 2005. Pamuk's "offence" was a statement published in a Swiss newspaper in which he declared "One million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands [Turkey] and nobody but me dares talk about it." This has led to his being accused of "publicly denigrating Turkish identity". The comment was made in February 2005, before the penal code was revised. Since then, Article 159 of that Penal Code, dealing with "insult" to the Turkish state, has been replaced by the new Penal Code Article 301.

Pakistan

Bomb explodes in journalist's house

(PPF/IFEX) - A bomb exploded in the house of a journalist in Wana, South Waziristan Agency, in Pakistan at 5:00 a.m. (local time) on 16 December 2005. The area, which borders Afghanistan, is the centre of Pakistani army action against militants.

Zimbabwe

Security agents raid private news production company

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

Colombia

IAPA, government reach agreement enabling investigation on journalist's murder to go ahead

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 15 December 2005 IAPA press release:

Kazakhstan

RSF concerned over "politicisation" of domain name administration

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned censorship by the Kazakh government, which has removed the right to use the .kz suffix (equivalent to .uk) from two websites it finds troublesome, including that of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, or "Borat".

Somalia

Radio journalist comes out of hiding following Somali government intervention

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the news that Awale Jama Salad, the editor of privately-owned radio STN FM, has been able to come out of hiding and resume his normal life and work after intervention by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

Pakistan

Printing press raided, newspaper's printing blocked by police

(PPF/IFEX) - Many daily newspapers in Karachi faced delays and problems because the police raided a printing press on 13 December 2005, on suspicion that it was printing a banned publication. The police also stopped one newspaper from being printed in any other printing presses.

Venezuela

State governor threatens and insults reporters

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 13 December 2005, journalist Emy Martínez and photojournalist Johan Rojas, of the regional newspaper "El Nuevo Día", were threatened by the governor of the eastern state of Anzoátegui, Tarek William Saab, during the inauguration of a new street in Barcelona, the state capital.

Guatemala

Community radio station closed and heavily fined by government

(CERIGUA/IFEX) - At the beginning of December 2005, the telecommunications supervisory body (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones, SIT) ordered the closure of Stereo Samalá community-run radio station, located in the southwestern department, Retalhuleu. The SIT has also fined the station's owners approximately US$10,000, much to the dismay of the public, which considers these actions a violation of its right to freedom of expression and information.

Central African Republic

ARTICLE 19 calls on prime minister to respect freedom of expression

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 12 December 2005 ARTICLE 19 letter to Central African Republic Prime Minister Elie Dote:

China

News blackout imposed after police brutally put down demonstrations

(RSF/IFEX) - Chinese authorities have imposed a news blackout after police brutally put down demonstrations in Dongzhou, a provincial village in south-eastern Guangdong province.

Malawi

Government office alleges "mercenary" journalists are discrediting high officials for pay

(MISA/IFEX) - The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has alleged that five print journalists have been hired to write articles to discredit President Bingu wa Mutharika and his cabinet.

Iraq

Writer detained for articles critical of Kurdish authorities

(WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is seriously concerned about the detention and welfare of writer Kamal Sayid Qadir, an Iraqi Kurd with Austrian citizenship who has been detained incommunicado in Iraqi Kurdistan since 26 October 2005. He is believed to be held for articles critical of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) authorities, including KDP leader Mas'ud Barzani. International PEN is alarmed at reports that Dr. Qadir has been ill-treated in detention, and is in very poor health.

East Timor

Defamation a criminal offence under new penal code

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA has expressed alarm over the media situation in East Timor after Prime Minister Mari Altakiri signed an executive decree approving a penal code that criminalises defamation.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED staff receives anonymous death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for a concerted effort to establish who was responsible for the death threats made against the staff of Journalist en Danger (JED), its partner organisation in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the day after JED issued its annual report on 9 December 2005.

Brazil

São Paulo court orders "Folha de S. Paulo" newspaper to stop reporting on criminal case

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

Cuba

IAPA calls for release of journalist, protests harassment of another

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

Mexico

Proposed radio and television law amendments promote concentration of ownership, impede civil society groups' access to media

(AMARC/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 12 December 2005 AMARC press release:

International

China, Cuba, Eritrea and Ethiopia are top jailers of journalists, says CPJ report

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

Serbia / Montenegro

Serbian soldiers convicted in 1991 slaughter of civilians, journalists

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED's annual report indicates worrying regression for press freedom

(JED/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 9 December 2005 JED press release:

Belgium

EFJ condemns proposed legislation on protection of sources

(FIJ/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 12 December 2005 media release by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an IFJ affiliate:

Cuba

Government urged to allow representatives of dissidents' support group to leave Cuba to receive prize in Strasbourg

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 12 December 2005 RSF press release:

Australia

Radio workers protest restructuring plan that threatens quality and breadth of news coverage

(MEAA/IFEX) - The following is a MEAA media release:

Seychelles

Arson attack causes serious damage to opposition weekly's press

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned an arson attack that seriously damaged the printing press of the pro-opposition weekly "Regar" on the night of 8 December 2005.

China

Detention of journalist Ching Cheong extended

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 12 December 2005 CPJ press release:

Ethiopia

Two more journalists jailed on old charges

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 12 December 2005 CPJ press release:

Mauritania

Military leader keeps promise to let RFI resume FM broadcasts

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the resumption of FM broadcasts by Radio France Internationale (RFI) in Nouakchott after a ban imposed in October 2000 was lifted. The authorities gave the go-ahead at the end of a visit to Nouakchott by RFI's deputy director for international relations, Jean-Marc Belchi.

International

Winners of the 2005 Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France Prize

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 7 December 2005 RSF press release:

Gabon

ARTICLE 19 appeals to Gabonese president to guarantee freedom of expression

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a translation of a 30 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 letter to Gabonese President Omar Bongo Ondimba:

Philippines

CPJ welcomes Supreme Court decision to change venue of murder trial of columnist Marlene Esperat-Garcia

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

Zimbabwe

CPJ condemns "witch hunt" against government critics

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

Mexico

Authorities seize transmission equipment and shut down two community-based radio stations in Oaxaca

(CENCOS/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of an 8 December 2005 CENCOS press release:

Yemen

Journalist attacked twice in a week amid worsening press freedom crisis

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

Tajikistan

Authorities ignore second Supreme Court order to free journalist

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

Afghanistan

CPJ calls on Afghan President to free journalist Ali Mohaqiq Nasab

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

Lebanon

IPI deplores opposition journalist's murder

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

Malawi

Opposition party taking state broadcaster to task for not airing press conference

(MISA/IFEX) - The main opposition party, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), has threatened to take unspecified action against the state broadcaster, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), for refusing to air a press conference the party held last month.

International

CAPSULE REPORT: EU should press for benchmarks on free expression, says Human Rights Watch

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

Turkey

CAPSULE REPORT: Restrictions on freedom of expression persist; judiciary must acquit novelist and set firm precedent, says Human Rights Watch

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is an 8 December 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Cuba

Journalist released from prison recounts his sufferings

(RSF/IFEX) - Journalist Mario Enrique Mayo Hernández of the independent Félix Varela news agency, who was jailed along with 26 other journalists in a spring 2003 crackdown and finally released for medical reasons on 1 December 2005, has described to Reporters Without Borders the psychological ordeal of his imprisonment:

Egypt

Over 50 journalists and media workers harassed, some beaten while covering elections

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has accused the Egyptian authorities of waging a campaign of harassment against the press throughout the month-long, staggered legislative elections, in which more than 50 journalists were prevented from covering the polling. Most of these were also subjected to violence by police, officials or members of the public.

Pakistan

RSF calls for quick action on abduction of journalist Hayatullah Khan

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) have urged Pakistan's federal and local authorities to quickly identify who is responsible for the kidnapping of journalist Hayatullah Khan in Pakistan's northeastern Tribal Areas, after Taliban militants assured his family they were not involved.

South Africa

Editors' organization probes legality of Zuma's closed court

(MISA/IFEX) - The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) has been consulting editors and lawyers about the exclusion of the media from former deputy president Jacob Zuma's rape hearing.

Zimbabwe

IPI condemns confiscation of publisher's passport by authorities

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

Ethiopia

Jailed journalist sentenced to eight months in prison

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

Bangladesh

Islamic militants issue more death threats against journalists

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

Argentina

Congress again delays approval of an access to information law

IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 1 December 2005 IAPA press release:

France

Al-Manar awaits appeal decision by Council of State

(RSF/IFEX) - On 7 December 2005, the Council of State, France's highest administrative court was to review an appeal by Lebanese television station Al-Manar, contesting the cancellation of its broadcast agreement with the country's broadcast regulator (Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel, CSA).

Yemen

Soldiers intimidate newspaper

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

Venezuela

General confiscates reporter's camera

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 28 November 2005, Carlos Colmenárez, a National Guard general and area director for security and public order for the state of Lara, western Venezuela, confiscated "El Impulso" newspaper reporter Enmanuele Sorge's camera, while the journalist was covering an impromptu meeting between Lara Governor Luis Reyes Reyes and a group of coffee growers.

Belarus

CPJ condemns draft law to silence government criticism

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

Nepal

Supreme Court opposes government ban of BBC Nepali Service

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES has welcomed an interim Supreme Court order directing the royal government to reverse a ban on the re-broadcasting of BBC Nepali Service over a leading FM radio station in the country.

Nigeria

CPJ calls on Nigerian president to free "Weekly Star" publisher

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 December 2005 CPJ letter to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo:

Vietnam

Weeks go by without news of arrested Kiem Street chat room users

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has asked the Vietnamese authorities for information about three Internet users who were arrested at their home on Nguyen Kiem Street in Ho Chi Minh City on 19 October 2005. Local sources say they were detained for participating in a chat room on the Pal Talk (http://www.paltalk.com) website.

Croatia

Newspaper editor receives death threat for reporting on war crimes

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

Namibia

Swapo Party Youth League calls for restriction of press freedoms

(MISA/IFEX) - The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has called on the Namibian government to enact laws to rein in journalists who, the SPYL alleges, are abusing the freedom of the press.

China

Rampant violence and intimidation against petitioners; officials and "retrievers" block citizens' complaints, says Human Rights Watch report

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

Egypt

State security agents arrest website editor

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about the detention of Ahmed Mahmoud Abdallah, the second website or blog editor to be arrested since late October, and called for his immediate release. A former editor of "Al-Shaab", an opposition newspaper that was closed down, he was arrested on 5 December 2005 in Cairo by members of the Amn-El-Dawla state security agency.

Zimbabwe

Secret service reverses licensing body's decision to register ANZ

(MISA/IFEX) - Zimbabwe's secret service allegedly reversed a decision by the government-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) to register Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ).

Kazakhstan

Copies of opposition newspaper seized illegally by police

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 8 December 2005, Almaty police stopped a vehicle that was delivering copies of the opposition newspaper "Juma Times". The incident took place only a few meters from its printing press. Police ordered the driver to take the car to the Medeo District Police Department, saying they had to seize all copies of the newspaper because it was being "distributed illegally." The police failed to show a seizure warrant or court decision making the paper's distribution illegal.

Cuba

CPJ alarmed by worsening health of journalist held without charge

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

Philippines

Photojournalist's murder may have been perpetrated by intelligence agent; authorities promise investigation

(CMFR/IFEX) - The government's national security adviser Norberto Gonzales vowed on 9 November 2005 to broaden the investigation of photojournalist Gene Boyd Lumawag's killing, following reports that the gunman may have been an intelligence agent.

Cambodia

Newspaper editor arrested for defamation

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

Philippines

Call for action on one-year anniversary of radio broadcaster's murder

(CMFR/IFEX) - On the first-year anniversary commemoration of the murder of radio broadcaster Herson Hinolan, families and colleagues appealed to the government for a prompt prosecution in the case.

China

Journalist's health deteriorates in forced labour, prison conditions

(RSF/IFEX) - During a four-day visit to France by Chinese Prime Minister Wen, Reporters Without Borders has confirmed that journalist Shi Tao, who is serving a 10-year-prison sentence, is having to do forced labour and is suffering from respiratory problems and a skin inflammation.

Russia

Preliminary hearing held in Klebnikov murder trial

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

Thailand

Thai prime minister drops defamation lawsuits against media tycoon

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 6 December 2005 Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dropped all defamation lawsuits against his staunch critic and founder of Manager Media Group, Sondhi Limthongkul, following the King's advice against using lawsuits to silence critics.

Egypt

CIHRS releases second report on coverage of recent parliamentary elections, criticises bias toward ruling party

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

Haiti

Authorities urged to resume investigation on fourth anniversary of Brignol Lindor's murder

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 1 December 2005 RSF press release:

Zambia

Editor's defamation trial adjourned

(MISA/IFEX) - On December 5 2005, the Lusaka Magistrate's court adjourned to December 28 2005 the case concerning Fred M'membe, managing editor of Zambia's privately owned independent "The Post" newspaper, to allow M'membe, who is studying law at the University of Zambia, to complete his examinations. M'membe is charged with defamation of the President, an offence under section 69 of the Zambian Constitution.

Morocco

Sahrawi websites censored throughout the country

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the recent censorship of many websites supporting the Polisario Front's struggle for Sahrawi independence.

Vietnam

Elderly dissident attacked by mobs, vilified in state press; HRW urges international donors to impose conditions on aid

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

South Africa

Employee dismissed for article on working conditions at Royal Ascot Super Spar store

(FXI/IFEX) - The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has written an open letter to the Royal Ascot Super Spar store in Cape Town to protest against the management's decision to dismiss a worker, Vusi Sibeko, for writing an article that was critical of working conditions at the company. Apparently, the company dismissed Sibeko on the grounds of misconduct, for "instilling a negative approach towards management through derogatory speech, and by making derogatory comments in a newspaper article." The article was published in the newspaper of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM). Sibeko is a member of the DSM-linked Commercial, Services and Allied Workers' Union (Cosawu).

Singapore

Play censored, artist's work altered for references to death penalty

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) withheld a license from a local theatre group to stage a play about the execution of a drug courier until it revised some scenes and took out all references to the death penalty, the English daily "Today" reported.

Ecuador

Broadcast or publication of telephone conversations may net nine-year prison sentence

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about the implications for the news media of a criminal law amendment passed by the Ecuadorean congress on 30 November 2005 under which journalists could receive heavy prison sentences for broadcasting or publishing a telephone conversation without the express permission of the participants.

Afghanistan

Jailed magazine editor may face death penalty under fatwa

(WiPC/IFEX) - WiPC has learned that the Dar-ul-lfta, the council of religious scholars within the Supreme Court, has issued a fatwa against Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, chief editor of the monthly magazine "Haqoq-e-Zan" ("Women's Rights"), ruling that he had contradicted verses of the Koran in his articles. Under Islamic or Shariah law, the punishment for apostasy includes the death penalty. Nasab was arrested on 1 October 2005 and sentenced to two years' imprisonment for blasphemy, for publishing allegedly anti-Islamic articles in his magazine. International PEN considers Nasab's detention a violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.

Bangladesh

Journalists receive death threats from Islamist militant group

(Media Watch/IFEX) On December 6 2005, the banned Islamist militant outfit Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) threatened to bomb the Chittagong Press Club (CPC) and to kill twenty-two journalists working in the city. Chittagong is the largest port city of the country, located 264 kilometers from the capital of Dhaka.

Egypt

Television crews prevented from filming at polling stations

(RSF/IFEX) - Three television crews were prevented from covering the third round of voting in Egypt's parliamentary elections, which took place in nine provinces on 1 December 2005.

Brazil

Attorney general announces intention to seek information on journalists' sources

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 22 November 2005, Attorney General Bruno Acioly announced his intention to file a new request at the beginning of December for the list of telephone calls made and received by four journalists.

Iraq

World journalists condemn US campaign of propaganda and "stooge journalism" in Iraq

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

Philippines

Court orders arrest of two suspects in connection with radio commentator's murder

(CMFR/IFEX) - A local court has ordered the arrest of two suspects in connection with the 3 July 2005 murder of radio commentator Rolando Morales in General Santos City.

South Africa

FXI condemns banning of the media from Jacob Zuma rape hearing and harassment of "The Star" reporters

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

Tajikistan

Court upholds sentence against opposition newspaper editor

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a joint Adil Soz and National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) alert:

China

Writer, literary editor imprisoned in the Uighur Autonomous Region for publishing allegorical story

(WiPC/IFEX) - The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN protests the detention of Uighur writer Nurmuhemmet Yasin and editor Korash Huseyin for the publication of the former's short story "Wild Pigeon" ("Yawa Kepter"). Nurmuhemmet Yasin is serving a ten-year prison sentence for "inciting separatism" in the story, while Korash Huseyin is serving a three-year sentence for publishing it in his literary magazine, "Kashgar Literature Journal". International PEN considers both men to be detained in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory, and calls for their immediate and unconditional release.

Nepal

Editor of "Hetauda Sandesh" newspaper interrogated by regional administrator

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the harassment of Santosh Neupane, editor of "Hetauda Sandesh", a daily published from the southern town of Hetauda, by a royal appointee.

Philippines

Radio journalist tops terrorist group's hit list

(CMFR/IFEX) - The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf (ASG) is reportedly hot on the trails of prominent personalities, including some members of the local media, in Zamboanga City.

Tanzania

Government suspends two newspapers

(MISA/IFEX) - The government of the United Republic of Tanzania has suspended the opposition-aligned Kiswahili newspaper "Tanzania Daima" for three days for publishing a picture deemed offensive to President Benjamin Mkapa.

United Kingdom

Proposed new offence of "encouragement of terrorism" incompatible with the right to freedom of expression, says ARTICLE 19

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 5 December 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

Pakistan

Journalist kidnapped in North Waziristan region

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

Eritrea

Freed journalist sent back to jail

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

Niger

"Le Visionnaire" director sentenced to two months in prison for defaming the state treasurer

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

Colombia

Local newspaper's work being blocked by Chía mayor

(FLIP/IFEX) - The monthly "El Periódico de Chía", published in Chía, a town near the capital, Bogotá, has been subjected to a discredit campaign by Chía Mayor Fernando Sánchez Gutiérrez , who has sent the newspaper's advertisers and readers letters criticizing the newspaper and its content.

Thailand

King sets example for Thai leaders, saying criticisms must be tolerated

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Speaking for the first time on political and free expression issues that had seen his name invoked by many opposing camps, Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej said on 4 December 2005 that he is not infallible and is open to criticism. As highly anticipated as it was, the King's speech still surprised Thais by its candor. Addressing his Kingdom on the eve of his 78th birthday, the King refuted the tradition in the constitutional monarchy which insists that "the King can do no wrong."

Argentina

Journalist threatened by police chief, two others mistreated by government officials in Entre Ríos province

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is concerned about the humiliating treatment to which journalists have been subjected by certain Entre Ríos provincial authorities, and is calling called upon Governor Jorge Busti to behave in a more exemplary manner and calm the situation.

Egypt

Al-Jazeera freelance reporter and cameraman assaulted and threatened at polling station; Reuters correspondent held by security officers

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

Cuba

Journalists taking part in independent training workshop face harassment, threats

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF condemns a 22 November 2005 operation by government officials and progoverment groups in which intimidation and force were used to prevent participants in a training workshop for independent journalists from attending a party to mark the end of the course.

Pakistan

Journalist Nasir Afridi killed

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

Cuba

Two foreign journalists detained, awaiting expulsion

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

Venezuela

Journalist denied access to hospital

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 23 November 2005, the management of "Antonio Maria Pineda" Central Hospital denied access to the premises to journalist Liza Canelón of the newspaper "El Impulso", in the central-west state of Lara, claiming that entry to the hospital was forbidden.

Bangladesh

Surge in political violence takes its toll on the press

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced deep concern over a dramatic deterioration in the security situation in Bangladesh and its impact on the press after three journalists were injured in an Islamist bombing, two reporters were beaten by police, a newspaper correspondent was threatened by the head of a madrassa and a minister's supporters made a bonfire of copies of an independent daily, all in the past 10 days.

Thailand

Civil court dismisses former national police chief's defamation suit

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 30 November 2005, Southern Bangkok's civil court dismissed a civil defamation lawsuit filed by a retired senior police officer against 17 people, including a women's rights activist, senior journalists and publishers of six local dailies, and an ex-army officer.

Israel

Al Jazeera reporter arrested in West Bank

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest of Palestinian journalist Awad Rajoub on 30 November 2005 at his home in Doura, 10 km from the West Bank city of Hebron. The organisation called on the Israeli military to explain why he is still being held. Rajoub reports for the Arabic-language website of the pan-Arab satellite television station Al Jazeera.

Indonesia

Journalists' union protests new broadcast regulation

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Indonesia's largest journalists' trade union, is protesting a new broadcast regulation, saying the restrictions and censorship introduced under it are a betrayal of the country's national reform movement for a free and democratic society.

Kazakhstan

Videographer assaulted

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On November 27, 2005, Aset Kunakbayev, a videographer for the 31 Channel programme "Reider", was assaulted while covering a fire at Ak zhar market, in Almaty.

Cuba

Jailed journalist released on medical parole

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

Nigeria

Reporter beaten by police, camera smashed

(MRA/IFEX) - On 1 December 2005, "New Age" newspaper reporter Annabelle Ayika was beaten by policemen attached to the Lagos State Governor, who also smashed her camera as she took photographs of the policemen brutally attacking some traders at the Lagos State Secretariat complex.

Philippines

Radio journalist shot dead; police arrest two suspects in Ramos murder

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has expressed outrage at the shooting death of radio journalist George Benaojan on 1 December 2005, apparently by professional killers. The organisation noted that the murder came only three days after a life sentence was imposed on Guillermo Wapile for killing radio journalist Edgar Damalerio in 2002.

Somalia

Journalist imprisoned for report on alleged arms dealing

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

Yemen

CPJ condemns newspaper closure and defamation lawsuits; "Sawt al-Shoura" editor facing year in prison

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

Colombia

Journalists disturbed by legal conditions imposed on presidential campaign coverage

(FLIP/IFEX) - The following is a 30 November 2005 FLIP press release:

Bangladesh

Three journalists injured in bomb attack

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

International

Health workers face government repression, abuse for speaking out on AIDS, say Human Rights Watch

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

Chad

Radio director freed but faces expulsion from country

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

Nepal

Supreme Court rules FM radio stations can broadcast news

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES welcomes the latest Supreme Court verdict that has paved the way for nearly 50 FM radio stations around the country to resume news broadcasts.

Nepal

Maoists harass, threaten media workers, steal equipment

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), a Kathmandu-based press freedom monitoring group, condemns the Maoist harassment of civilians, including journalists, and the theft of their equipment in eastern Nepal earlier this week.

Nigeria

Government shuts down radio station, arrests general manager

(MRA/IFEX) - On 30 November 2005, a combined team of soldiers and policemen, apparently acting on the orders of the federal government, seized the Bayelsa State-owned radio station, Glory FM, located in Yenogoa, the state capital in the Niger Delta region. The station's general manager, Brighten Sorgwe, was also arrested.

Uzbekistan

Observers barred from Andijan trials; Human Rights Watch fears cover-up

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

Sierra Leone

"For Di People" editor Paul Kamara freed after 14 months in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the release of Paul Kamara, the founder and editor of the independent daily "For Di People", after 14 months in prison, and urged the government to keep it promises of democracy and put an end to its repression of the news media.

Uganda

CPJ urges President Museveni to drop closure threats against media outlets and criminal charges against "The Monitor" journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 29 November 2005 CPJ letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni:

Rwanda

Journalist jailed for one year on contempt charge, facing genocide charges

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

Philippines

Damalerio killer sentenced to life in prison

(CMFR/IFEX) - The quest for justice in the killing of print, radio, and television journalist Edgar Damalerio came to a favourable conclusion when the local court convicted his killer, Guillermo Wapile, and sentenced him to life in prison on 29 November 2005 in Cebu City.

Singapore

RSF publishes open letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF open letter to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong:

Egypt

More police violence and threats against journalists covering elections

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the many attacks, threats and other abuses against journalists in several provinces on 20 and 26 November 2005 in a continued police crackdown that has gone unpunished since staggered polling in ongoing legislative elections began on 8 November.

Brazil

Journalist assaulted during public hearing

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 24 November 2005, Helen Michelet, a correspondent for "A Estância" newspaper and a member of an opposition politician's press department , in the city of Guarujá, Sao Paulo state, was assaulted during a public meeting led by Mayor Farid Madi.

Russia

TV anchor taken off air for critical news reporting

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

Azerbaijan

Opposition journalists again the victims of police violence

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders today condemned the violence used by police against at least 12 journalists working for various news media when a demonstration organised by the opposition alliance "Azadlig" was dispersed by force on 26 November 2005 in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

Nepal

Radio Sagarmatha recommences broadcasting after interim court ruling

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

Yemen

Draft Press and Publications Law may signal final curtain for press freedom, says ARTICLE 19

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 28 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

Chile

Television crew assaulted outside private party

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF condemns the 26 November 2005 attack on a Chilevisión television crew, that had gone to a private party in Santiago hoping to film a celebrity participant. The reporters were beaten by some of the guests outside the house.

Ethiopia

Two more journalists detained as police raid newspapers and local journalists' association

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

Yemen

Opposition newspaper suspended, another fined, four journalists face publication ban

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned a climate of intimidation towards the press in Yemen in which closures of newspapers, summonses for interrogation, prison sentences and physical attacks against journalists have become routine and are making it very difficult for the news media to operate freely.

Thailand

Courts say Thaksin is a public figure who cannot be exempted from press scrutiny

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 24 November 2005, a judge in Thailand's civil court held that the kingdom's prime minister is a public figure whose performance in office can be fairly scrutinized by the press. In this light, the judge amended a gag order on a bitter critic of Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, freeing the media personality to continue raising questions about corruption and conflict of interest in the Thaksin administration.

Nepal

Radio station raided, journalists arrested, equipment seized

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a 27 November 2005 CEHURDES statement:

Kyrgyzstan

Journalist denied information

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

International

RSF calls on Commonwealth member states to make concerted effort to end impunity

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 24 November 2005 RSF press release:

Uganda

Government threatens to close privately-owned radio stations

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has protested to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni after the country's privately-owned radio stations were threatened with closure if they broadcast debates or talk-shows about the trial of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, which has just begun.

International

Writers from Tunisia, Swaziland, Sierra Leone and Vietnam receive Novib / PEN award

(WiPC/IFEX) - The following is a 24 November 2005 WiPC press release:

Somalia

President asked to intercede on behalf of journalist forced into hiding in Puntland

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced growing concern about the unacceptable way in which the authorities in the autonomous northeastern region of Puntland have been treating radio STN editor Awale Jama Salad, who has been forced to go into hiding after being arrested and threatened several times by the police.

Uganda

Human Rights Watch calls on government to reverse its ban on speech and demonstrations linked to trial of opposition candidate

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 23 November 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Kinshasa journalist arrested and jailed

(JED/IFEX) - On 24 November 2005, Michel Mukebayi Nkosso, publication director of the Kinshasa-based weekly "AfricaNews", was arrested and jailed on the orders of the Prosecutor's Office of the Kinshasa/Gombe High Court.

Germany

IPI condemns ongoing treatment of "Cicero" magazine and reporter Bruno Schirra by German authorities

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble:

Rwanda / Belgium

Belgian courts urged to exonerate Guy Theunis

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed Father Guy Theunis' return to Belgium on 20 November 2005 under an accord between Rwanda and Belgium under which the Belgian judicial authorities will investigate charges brought against him in Rwanda.

International

Bush, Blair should set record straight on leaked Al-Jazeera threat, urges CPJ

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

Belgium

Mongolian journalist faces imminent deportation

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an abridged translation of a 22 November 2005 IFJ press release:

Iraq / United States

IFJ calls for re-opening of investigation into 2003 US attack on Al-Jazeera; fears the media may have been deliberately targetted

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

Venezuela

Television news crew insulted by government supporters

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 21 November 2005, a news crew from the television news channel Globovisión, led by journalist Gabriela Matute, was insulted and intimidated by supporters of President Hugo Chávez's government, who were gathered outside the Attorney General's Office. The reporters were at the scene to cover a demonstration by the Primero Justicia opposition party.

Niger

Editor of "Le Visionnaire" newspaper refused bail, denied visitors

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 18 November 2005, Salifou Abdoulkarim, managing editor of the independent weekly newspaper "Le Visionnaire", was refused bail by a Magistrate Court in Niamey.

Nepal

Journalist briefly abducted by Maoist rebels

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

Jordan

Human Rights Watch urges king to support proposal to strip press association's power to block journalists' work

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

Russia

Trial of Klebnikov murder suspects to be held in secret; CPJ urges open proceedings

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

Nepal

CEHURDES welcomes Maoist rebels' latest promise to respect press freedom

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a 22 November 2005 CEHURDES press release:

International

European Investment Bank public disclosure policy falls short, says ARTICLE 19

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 22 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

Russia

Draft law threatens NGOs as last independent voices that can criticise government and demand accountability

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

Eritrea

IFJ urges government to allow released journalist to leave country, free others held since 2001 clampdown

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

Philippines

Slain journalist had received threats; journalists' union says killings under Arroyo top those under Marcos era of martial law in the 1980s

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

Eritrea

Journalist freed without charge after four years in jail

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

Cambodia

CPJ calls on PM to drop all charges against radio journalist held in "atrocious" prison conditions

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 November 2005 CPJ letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen:

Iran

RSF calls for reopening of Kazemi murder case

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the reopening of the investigation into the murder of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi after a Tehran appeal court, on 16 November 2005, upheld the acquittal of Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, the only person accused of killing her while she was in the custody of the Tehran authorities in 2003.

Kenya

Ban on radio station lifted

(AFMF/IFEX) - On 18 November 2005, the Kenyan government lifted the ban it had imposed on Kass FM radio station, out of what it described as "humanitarian and business concerns."

Zimbabwe

CAPSULE REPORT: MISA lobbies government on ICTs and freedom of expression

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is an 18 November 2005 MISA capsule report:

Tunisia

Protesters end hunger strike; IFJ urges new campaign for press rights

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 November 2005 IFJ media release:

Venezuela

Reporters question new norms at courthouse

(IPYS/IFEX) - Since 8 November 2005, journalists covering the news at the Palacio de Justicia in Caracas, the main courthouse and seat of the judiciary, are no longer allowed to walk around the review courts, although until now, any citizen could do so freely. They have also been prohibited from taking photographs anywhere on the premises other than the press room and from recording statements by people not actively involved in trials, but who may know about irregularities within the judiciary. If the norms are not respected, the press room will be closed.

Bangladesh

Journalist's writing may have provoked murder

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 November 2005 IFJ media release:

Philippines

Two journalists killed in separate weekend attacks

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

Turkey

Another publisher facing charges under new Penal Code

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN is watching with growing concern the proliferation of judicial hearings being brought against writers and publishers under a penal code that had been amended earlier this year with the aim of bringing it into harmony with European Union human rights standards.

Thailand

Thai prime minister intensifies threats against television commentator

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

Tunisia / International

IFJ challenges governments at Internet summit over media rights after attacks on reporters

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 November 2005 IFJ press release:

Uganda

Police raid newspaper at the end of a week of harassment

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on the Ugandan government to come to its senses after a week of police harassment of the independent "Daily Monitor" newspaper, culminating in a spectacular raid on its premises on the night of 17 November 2005, all of which were part of the government's efforts to neutralise support for imprisoned opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

Belarus

State-owned company to cease distribution of privately-owned newspapers; IFJ warns of "ruthless campaign" to silence media before presidential election

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

Niger

Journalist imprisoned for defamation; RSF reminds government of its promise to decriminalise press offences

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has urged the authorities in Niger to release Salifou Soumaila Abdoulkarim, publication director of the privately-owned weekly "Le Visionnaire", as soon as possible. Detained since 12 November 2005 at the Niamey police station, Abdoulkarim was incarcerated on 17 November after a first court appearance. The journalist was arrested after the treasurer-general of the republic, Siddo Elhadj, filed a "defamation" complaint against him. He is currently held at the Niamey prison and his trial is scheduled to take place on 18 November.

Argentina

Journalist repeatedly threatened since publishing book on police abuses during dictatorship

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced serious concern about harassment in the form of threats and legal action against author and journalist Mariano Saravia, after he wrote a book exposing police abuses during the dictatorship (1976-1983).

Ukraine

Journalists protest election law provisions for closure of media outlets, muzzling of reporting

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 November 2005 IFJ media release:

United States

Reader privacy campaign questions benefits of new PATRIOT Act legislation for bookstores and libraries, urges delay of Congress vote

(PEN/IFEX) - The following is a 16 November 2005 PEN American Centre press release:

South Korea

US-based Chinese TV station expelled from APEC forum

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced dismay at the expulsion of a New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) crew from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the South Korean city of Pusan on 15 November 2005.

Panama

Two newspaper journalists dismissed for refusing to name source

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF condemns the political pressure that apparently led to the dismissal of reporter Rafael Antonio Ruiz and deputy editor César Iván Castillo of the daily "El Siglo". The two were fired on 14 November 2005 over a report in that day's issue, alleging that a presidential bodyguard was implicated in a drug trafficking case.

Thailand

Thaksin critic threatened by Royal Guard general for "dragging king's name into politics"; authorities order cable TV operators not to air his programmes

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The outspoken founder of a local multi-media group this week got a personal "warning" from the commander of Thailand's Royal Guard, who urged him to desist from citing the King's name every time he criticized Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Tunisia

RSF secretary-general prevented from attending WSIS

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has expressed outrage after the Tunisian authorities turned back its Secretary General, Robert Ménard, on his arrival in Tunis to attend the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

Kenya

Radio station suspended over reported "incitement to violence"

(AFMF/IFEX) - On 16 November 2005, The Kenyan government ordered FM radio station Kass FM to cease broadcasting for seven days after what the authorities described as "incitement to violence" by the station.

Yemen

CPJ urges Yemeni president to take action against attacks on the press

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 November 2005 CPJ statement and letter to President Ali Abdullah Saleh:

Bangladesh

Journalist killed

(Media Watch/IFEX) - The following is a 17 November 2005 Media Watch press release:

Saudi Arabia

Teachers sentenced to prison, flogging, for open discussions

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

Nepal

Photojournalists manhandled, government instructs radio station to broadcast "notices only"

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

Nepal

Government censorship results in cancellation of human rights radio programme

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

Tunisia

Amid worsening pre-summit tension, French TV crew pulls out crew because of "close surveillance"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has reiterated its condemnation of the harassment and intimidation of journalists covering the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis after the French international television station TV5 Monde announced the withdrawal of a two-person team in Tunis because it had been "subjected to close surveillance."

Tunisia / International

Human rights solidarity action by international civil society organisations: Cancellation of several civil society side events on 15 November 2005

(AMARC/IPA/IFEX) - The following is a 15 November 2005 press release circulated by AMARC and IPA on behalf of the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society:

International

Jailed Iranian journalist wins WAN Golden Pen of Freedom Award

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a 15 November 2005 WAN press release:

Mexico

Government officials fail to attend first meeting on precautionary measures granted by IACHR on behalf of "Noticias" newspaper staff

(CENCOS/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a letter from CENCOS and others to Santiago Cantón, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights:

Lesotho

Weekly newspaper ordered to pay damages for alleged defamation

(MISA/IFEX) - On Monday November 7, 2005, Justice Kellelo Guni passed a judgment in the High Court of Lesotho against the English-language weekly newspaper "Public Eye", the largest publication in Lesotho.

Venezuela

Broadcaster sentenced for alleged libel and slander

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 2 November 2005, broadcaster and lawyer Carlos Gibson was sentenced to eleven months in prison for allegedly repeatedly committing libel and slander in Ciudad Guayana, state of Bolívar, southern Venezuela. As this is the first time he has been convicted, he was put on probation and has to report to the bailiff's office twice a month.

Pakistan

Radio station closed for broadcasting BBC programme

(PPF/IFEX) - On 14 November 2005, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) raided a private FM radio station in Karachi and shut down its transmission for alleged violation of laws regulating the operation of radio stations. PEMRA officials assisted by the local police raided the FM 103 radio station and seized its transponders, antennas and other broadcast equipment.

Uganda

Government threatens to close independent daily

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

Sri Lanka

Grenade attack on journalist's house

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

Brazil

Top journalist held hostage by punitive lawsuits

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

Tunisia

IFJ calls on authorities to end repression after latest attack on Belgian TV crew

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

Kazakhstan

Newspaper seizures, arrests continue as elections draw near

(Freedom House/IFEX) - The following is a 14 November 2005 Freedom House press release:

North Africa / International

Human Rights Watch releases report on Internet censorship in the Middle East and North Africa

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

Honduras

Local radio station forced off the air, station manager receives death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF voiced outrage at the forced temporary closure of Virtud Stéreo radio station, based in the southwestern town of La Virtud, and recent death threats against the station's manager, Jaime Díaz. These developments appear to stem from party rivalry during the pre-election campaign. Presidential, legislative and local elections are scheduled for 27 November 2005.

Philippines

Local court bars publication of blog post

(CMFR/IFEX) - In an unprecedented move, on 4 November 2005 a local court in Quezon City barred the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) from publishing a post on its blog site discussing a government audio expert's background.

Kazakhstan

Assailants vandalise newspaper office

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - During the night of 6-7 November 2005, unknown individuals vandalised the offices of "Region-Plus" newspaper in Kapchagai, southern Kazakhstan.

Cameroon

Australian reporter released three days after being arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the release of Australian freelance reporter Andrew Mueller, who spent three days in detention after being arrested on 11 November in the company of two leaders of a banned separatist movement in the English-speaking northwestern part of Cameroon.

South Africa

Police crush Durban demonstration; FXI disturbed by increasing violations of the right to protest

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

International

WAN criticises Arab pressure on Danish newspaper

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

Spain

ARTICLE 19 calls on court to follow international human rights standards in treatment of "Euskaldunon Egunkaria" newspaper and staff

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 14 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

Yemen

Opposition journalist stabbed in broad daylight on Sanaa street

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced shock over the physical attack on opposition journalist Nabil Sabaie, who was jostled and then stabbed in both shoulders by armed men in broad daylight on a main street of the capital, Sanaa, on 12 November 2005.

Ethiopia

Two more journalists detained in growing crackdown; police search weeklies' offices

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

International

2005 a "dark year" for press freedom, says WAN report

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

International

Arabic blog takes top prize in RSF-Deutsche Welle International Weblog Awards 2005; jury condemns censor of Chinese blog

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

Indonesia

IFJ has grave fears for Indonesian reporter's safety

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

Egypt

Journalists assaulted, harassed in run-up to second round of legislative elections

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has strongly condemned the use of violence to intimidate journalists since the opening of the first round of Egyptian legislative elections on 8 November 2005.

Tunisia

Journalists, others at World Summit on the Information Society attacked by authorities

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following press release has been distributed by ARTICLE 19 on behalf of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Civil Society's Media Caucus:

Venezuela

Community television station's equipment damaged and stolen

(AMARC/IFEX) - In the early hours of 10 November 2005, equipment belonging to the Rubio community television station (Televisora Comunitaria de Rubio, TV Rubio) was stolen through a hole in the ceiling of its transmission facility on El Campanario hill in Rubio, Junín municipality, Táchira state.

Indonesia

Journalists covering nightclub evacuation manhandled by army intelligence officers

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

Tunisia

"Libération" correspondent assaulted, stabbed on Tunis street

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at an 11 November 2005 attack on visiting correspondent Christophe Boltanski, of the French daily "Libération", who was badly beaten and stabbed by four unidentified assailants in an area of Tunis near his hotel where there are always large numbers of police.

International

RSF outlines position on WSIS Internet governance issue

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 10 November 2005 RSF press release:

Azerbaijan

IPI concerned about harassment of the media during parliamentary elections

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

Cameroon

Australian journalist detained by police

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

Nepal

CEHURDES fears fresh media crackdown in aftermath of Supreme Court ruling

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

Zambia

"Post" editor pleads not guilty to defamation charge

(MISA/IFEX) - On 10 November 10, 2005, "The Post" editor-in-chief Fred M'membe pleaded "not guilty" before a Lusaka magistrate to a charge of "defamation of the president," an offence under section 69 of the Penal Code. M'membe, 46, appeared calm in the accused's dock as the magistrate read out the charge.

Ethiopia

Four journalists turned themselves in to police; journalists could face treason charge

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

Detained newspaper publisher charged by Kinshasa court

(JED/IFEX) - On 11 November 2005, Patrice Booto, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "Le Journal" and its supplement "Pool Malebo", was charged with spreading "false rumours" by the public prosecutor's office of the State Security Court (CSE) in Kinshasa/Lingwala, where his case was referred on 10 November in the late afternoon.

Tunisia

RSF secretary-general barred from WSIS

(RSF/IFEX) - In a 10 November 2005 letter from the executive secretariat of the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS), RSF Secretary General Robert Ménard was informed that Tunisian authorities would not allow him in the country to attend the summit.

Uzbekistan

Journalist assaulted after reporting on massacre

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

Tunisia / International

Citizens' Summit on the Information Society launches website and calls for support in the face of political pressure

(AMARC/IPA/IFEX) - The following is a 10 November 2005 press release circulated by AMARC and IPA on behalf of the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society:

Nepal

Journalist attacked by soldiers; government stands by media restrictions; radio stations defy summons

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

United States

PEN, ACLU, professors file suit to force release of information on exclusion of foreign scholars

(PEN/IFEX) - The following is a PEN American Center press release:

Azerbaijan

CPJ condemns press abuses during Azerbaijani election

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

Thailand

Hearings conclude in criminal case against radio journalist; CPJ concerned about threat to community stations

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

Bangladesh

Journalists' union accuses government of sabotaging convention

(Media Watch/IFEX) - On 10 November 2005, the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) accused the government of orchestrating the cancellation of the venue reservation for the national convention of journalists scheduled for 11 November, in the name of "security reasons."

Ghana

Missing editor reappears

(MFWA/IFEX) - The managing editor of the bi-weekly newspaper "Ghana Palaver", Jojo Bruce Quansah, who was allegedly attacked and reported missing, has said that he went into hiding for fear of losing his life.

Zimbabwe

RSF condemns "state sabotage" of radio station's broadcasts

(RSF/IFEX) - Reacting to the systematic jamming of the independent radio station Voice of the People (VOP) since 18 September 2005, Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the campaign to jam dissident radio broadcasts, which the Zimbabwean authorities are clearly orchestrating with Chinese help.

Thailand

RSF urges Thai PM to implement measures to guarantee press freedom

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 7 November 2005 RSF open letter to Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra:

France

State of emergency and curfews could threaten press freedom, warns IFJ

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

Croatia

Journalist receives five-month suspended sentence for libel

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

Venezuela

IPYS condemns interference at press conference

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 7 November 2005, a number of journalists who were covering a press conference at the Palacio de Justicia in Caracas, the main courthouse and seat of the judiciary, were prevented from doing their jobs. Belkys Cedeño, head of the Caracas Metropolitan Area Criminal Justice Circuit, ordered that the electricity supply to the press room be cut. In addition, a photographer was struck by one of the court officials.

Ukraine

European court holds Ukrainian government liable in Gongadze case

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

International

Investment funds and analysts to monitor what Internet firms do in repressive countries

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 7 November 2005 RSF press release:

Syria

Writer released under presidential amnesty

(WiPC/IFEX) - WiPC welcomes the release of writer and medical doctor Abdul Aziz Al-Khayer on 3 November 2005 under a Presidential Amnesty to mark the Muslim Eid holiday.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist threatened with death forced to reveal source

(JED/IFEX) - Patrice Booto, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "Le Journal" and its supplement "Pool Malebo", has been forced by police officers holding a gun to his head to reveal one of his sources. Fearing for his life, the journalist revealed the name of his source, who police officers immediately arrested. Neither judicial police officers nor Booto revealed this individual's identity to JED.

Mexico

CPJ investigating whether shooting of radio reporter was retaliation for his work

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

Ethiopia

IPI worried by prime minister's comments on private media; some print media harassed for not joining boycott of government-owned print services

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

Egypt

CIHRS releases report on media coverage of the parliamentary elections

(CIHRS/IFEX) - The following is an 8 November 2005 CIHRS press release:

Egypt

Freedom of expression fundamental to ensure free and fair parliamentary elections, says ARTICLE 19

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 7 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

Kyrgyzstan

ARTICLE 19 welcomes government initiative to establish public service broadcasting but expresses some concern about draft law

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 9 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 open letter to President Kurmanbek Bakiev:

Iran

Dissident journalist Akbar Ganji reportedly tortured and ill-treated; serious health concerns

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee is gravely concerned at reports that leading dissident journalist and writer Akbar Ganji has been tortured by security officers in Milad hospital, Tehran, and is being ill-treated in prison. International PEN calls on the Iranian authorities to launch an immediate investigation into these allegations, and demands that Ganji be granted immediate access to a medical examination and any necessary care by an independent doctor of his choice. PEN reiterates its call for Ganji's immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory.

Sri Lanka

Journalist assaulted covering election rally

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 5 November 2005 FMM press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist released; another still in jail without charge

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

Ethiopia

CPJ protests Ethiopian government's wanted list of journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 November 2005 CPJ letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi:

Ghana

Opposition newspaper launches appeal for funds to settle crippling lawsuits

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 4 November 2005, the "Ghana Palaver" newspaper, supporter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the main opposition party, launched an appeal for funds to pay damages of 1.9 billion cedis (approx. US$220,000) ordered by a court.

China

Cyber-dissident released six months before completing sentence

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has noted the 1 November 2005 release of journalist and cyber-dissident Liu Shui, six months before he was due to complete the two-year sentence of "reeducation through work" that he received in May 2004.

Azerbaijan

Journalists beaten, arrested and ejected from polling stations while covering legislative elections

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has protested after journalists were harassed while covering the 6 November 2005 legislative elections in Baku. One was beaten and arrested and seven others were beaten or forcibly ejected from polling stations.

Zambia

Editor of "The Post" newspaper arrested and detained, charged with defamation

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

Côte d'Ivoire

Journalists receive death threats; pro-opposition daily suspends publication

(MFWA/IFEX) - Aboueu Tiô, a correspondent for the daily "Le Nouveau Réveil", has been receiving death threats since October 20, 2005 in Adzopé, about 50 km east of Abidjan. "Le Nouveau Réveil" newspaper is close to the PDCI-RDA party, now in opposition.

Guinea

Editor of "La Guinée Actuelle" newspaper detained for article criticising prime minister

(MFWA/IFEX) - Louis Espérance Célestin, chief editor of the weekly newspaper "La Guinée Actuelle", was arrested by about ten plainclothed men from the Police Criminal Investigations Department (DPJ) on the morning of 1 November 2005. He was then kept at a Conakry detention centre reserved for notorious criminals and highway bandits and later released.

Peru

Taxi drivers assault journalists, steal video tape

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the morning of 6 November 2005, a group of taxi drivers beat up reporters Diego Rojas Latorre and Ariana Rojas Latorre who work for Antena Norte Channel 35, after the journalists videotaped one of the drivers being detained by the police. The incident occurred outside the Gran Chimú Coliseum in Trujillo, a city in northern Peru.

Serbia / Montenegro

Journalist's car destroyed after threats

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

Venezuela

Journalist pressured by security personnel to hand over tape

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 1 November 2005, David Ludovic, writer of the "El Nacional" newspaper column "A las puertas de Palacio" ("At the palace's door"), was pressured by the president's security personnel into handing over a tape of interviews done adjacent to the White Palace (Palacio Blanco, a building in front of the Miraflores presidential palace in downtown Caracas). The guards told him the area is a security zone where tape recorders cannot be used without permission from the presidential press office. Ludovic was also forced to sign a statement in which he denied having been the victim of physical or verbal attacks.

Nepal

Media groups urge Supreme Court to strike down "unconstitutional" media law

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

China

Journalist Shi Tao spends Journalists' Day in China in a high-security prison

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 4 November 2005 CPJ press release:

Mexico

Radio journalist in critical condition after shooting

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF expressed shock after learning that on 6 November 2005 Benjamín Fernández of Radio Loma station was shot and left critically wounded in Loma Bonita, Oaxaca State, southern Mexico.

Mauritania

Journalist and his assistant jailed

(MFWA/IFEX) - Moulaye Najim, a journalist with "Points Chauds" newspaper, and Abdel Ould Sejad, his assistant, were jailed on October 19, 2005 for allegedly publishing pornographic pictures taken at Nouakchott Civilian Prison. Najim has since been released, but Sejad remains in jail.

Venezuela

Journalists insulted and threatened during demonstration in Maracay

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 26 October 2005, a group of journalists were insulted and threatened by demonstrators who allegedly were students of the Libertador Experimental Pedagogical University (Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador, UPEL). The journalists were covering a demonstration outside the Aragua state governor's offices, in the city of Maracay, some 96 km from Caracas.

Iraq

Journalist killed in Mosul

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders said it was appalled by the news of the killing of Ahmed Hossein Al Maliki, an Iraqi journalist working for a local newspaper, whose body was found on the 7th of November 2005 in the northern city of Mosul. He had been shot, probably not long before his body was discovered.

Argentina

IAPA delivers recommendations on press freedom to Argentine legislators

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 3 November 2005 IAPA press release:

Hong Kong (China)

CPJ condemns bomb attack on newspaper

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

Venezuela

Protesters threaten and hold "El Siglo" newspaper team hostage for 5 hours in Aragua

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 28 October 2005, a team of reporters for the newspaper "El Siglo" in the state of Aragua, 99 km from Caracas, was threatened and assaulted by a group of demonstrators who detained them for more than five hours in an attempt to force the Aragua governor Didalco Bolivar to hand over the deeds for some lands in exchange for the journalists' release.

Burma

CAPSULE REPORT: Exiled Burmese journalists need protection, says SEAPA

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a SEAPA capsule report:

Venezuela

Demonstrating students attack four television crews in Maracay

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the use of violence by students against crews from four TV stations - Televén, RCTV, Venevisión and Televisora Informativa del Centro (TIC TV) - who tried to cover a student protest against a transport strike on 2 November 2005 in Maracay, in the central state of Aragua.

Yemen

Government fails to seriously investigate cameraman's beating

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 4 November 2005 CPJ press release:

United Kingdom

Terror law "chilling for democracy and press freedom," warns IFJ

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

Mexico

Radio reporter severely beaten by some 30 Mexico City police

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the severe beating which radio journalist Arturo García of Reporte 98.5 FM received from about 30 police officers as a result of a comment he made while covering the arrest of a taxi driver in the old part of Mexico City on 3 November.

Nepal

Government ministry summons, harasses Kathmandu valley FM radio stations

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a CEHURDES statement:

Venezuela

RSF urges university authorities to punish students for taking "Notitarde" newspaper team hostage

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the use of violence by students, some armed with hand guns, against journalists with the regional "Notitarde" newspaper on 28 October 2005 when they went to cover the discovery of home-made bombs on the Carabobo university campus in the western city of Valencia. One of the journalists and her driver were briefly taken hostage.

Ethiopia

Two journalists held as anti-government protests spread

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

Jordan

Draft Press and Publications Law raises concerns

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 3 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

The Gambia

Sud FM radio station's licence revoked

(MFWA/IFEX) - The Gambian ministry responsible for Communication, Information and Technology, in a press release issued on October 25, 2005, revoked the licence issued to Sud Communications Company Ltd, which gave it the legal mandate to operate a radio station in The Gambia.

Sri Lanka

Landmark media charter signed in Colombo

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

Zambia

Government opposing constitutional guarantees for access to information, press freedom and confidentiality of sources

(MISA/IFEX) - The Zambian government has rejected a proposal that the new constitution being drafted by the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) should contain a clause guaranteeing access to information.

Israel

Al Jazeera cameraman beaten by soldiers

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the use of violence by Israeli soldiers on Al Jazeera cameraman Nabil Al Mazzawi, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on 4 November 2005, and called on the Israeli authorities to give an explanation.

Azerbaijan

ARTICLE 19 calls on government to prove its commitment to free and fair elections

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 3 November 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release:

Australia

Filmmaker charged for talking with prisoner

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

Cambodia

Jailed journalist denied bail; court withdraws controversial order restricting journalists' access to court proceedings

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a SEAPA alert with information provided for by the Cambodian Association for Protection of Journalists (CAPJ):

Thailand

Bomb explodes outside newspaper office

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 3 November 2005, a bomb exploded inside the compound of Thailand's Manager Media Group, whose founder is facing a multi-million dollar defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Greece

National Broadcasting Council shuts down radio station over satire programme

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

Taiwan

Government retracts threat to shut down cable news network over critical talk show

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

Thailand

Newspaper publisher found murdered

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

Morocco

RSF calls for immediate release of editor who has completed one-year jail term

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of Anas Tadili, editor of the weekly "Akhbar al-Ousbouaâ", who should have been let out of jail on 29 September 2005 after completing a one-year sentence for libelling a government minister.

Sri Lanka

Two journalists harassed while on assignment

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 1 November 2005 FMM press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Publisher of suspended newspaper arrested in Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - In the early evening of 2 November 2005, Patrice Booto, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "Le Journal" and its supplement "Pool Malebo", was arrested on Colonel Mondjiba Avenue in Kinshasa/Ngaliema by five armed men in civilian clothes. The journalist is being detained at the Kin-Mazière police station in Kinshasa/Gombe.

Thailand

Community radio operator faces historic criminal lawsuit

(SEAPA/IFEX) - A farmer-turned-broadcaster in Thailand's Angthong province was expected to take the stand to defend himself on 3 November 2005, in the first criminal lawsuit ever filed by the Thai government against a community radio operator.

Colombia

Cúcuta mayor "freezes out" journalist over critical reporting

(FLIP/IFEX) - After publishing an investigative report on payments deposited into the personal bank account of a public official, journalist Gala Marcela Peña Álvarez, of the daily newspaper "La Opinión", in Cúcuta, the capital of the northeastern department North Santander, has been "frozen out" by mayor Ramiro Suárez Corzo.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED calls for "L'Alerte" publisher's release and transfer of case to legal arena

(JED/IFEX) - The following is a 2 November 2005 JED press release:

Australia

Anti-terror legislation threatens freedom of expression, warns MEAA

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist and his wife assassinated in Kinshasa

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

China

Blog shut down after being nominated in international contest's "free expression" category

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the censorship of pro-democracy writer Wang Yi's blog (http://zhivago.tianyablog.com), which was closed down just days after it was nominated for the "freedom of expression" category in a blog contest (http://www.thebobs.de) organised by the German public radio station Deutsche Welle.

Libya

Internet journalist sentenced to 18 months in prison

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

Ethiopia

CPJ condemns government threats against independent media

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

Sierra Leone

Journalists threaten boycott of government activities to pressure for trial of editor's suspected murderers

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 31 October 2005, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) asked the government to implement without further delay the recommendations of the committee that investigated the death of Harry Yansaneh, acting editor of the independent daily "For Di People", by bringing suspects named in the report to trial.

International

African free expression organisations launch network

(MFWA/IFEX) - The following is a 31 October 2005 joint press release by MFWA, Media Rights Agenda, Journaliste en danger and the Media Institute of Southern Africa:

Brazil

Newspaper driver shot dead while taking two journalists to slum district

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced shock at the murder of José Maria Ramos da Silva, a driver employed by the "Diário do Nordeste" regional daily, who was shot on 26 October 2005 while accompanying two of its journalists on a visit to a slum in Fortaleza, in the northeastern state of Ceará.

Venezuela

"Notitarde" newspaper team attacked by University of Carabobo students

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 28 October 2005, a team of journalists for the regional paper "Notitarde" was assaulted by students from the University of Carabobo (UC) in the state of the same name, 200 km from Caracas.

Ghana

"Daily Guide" newspaper journalists attacked by National Democratic Congress activists

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 1 November 2005, a group of activists from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana's main opposition party, assaulted Patricia Setorwu and Garneo Caches, reporters for the independent daily newspaper "Daily Guide".

Jordan

CAPSULE REPORT: Access to Information law short on real guarantees, says Arab Archives Institute

(EOHR/IFEX) - The following is a 28 October 2005 report by the Arab Archives Institute, which is being circulated by EOHR under a partnership agreement:

Mexico

IACHR urges government to adopt precautionary measures on behalf of Oaxacan newspaper editor and employees

(CENCOS/IFEX) - The following is a 31 October 2005 CENCOS press release:

Morocco

Imprisoned journalist beaten by prison guard and two inmates

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF letter to Moroccan Justice Minister Mohamed Bouzoubaâ:

Peru

Electoral official manhandles journalist

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the morning of October 31, 2005, José Calero Luis, a journalist for Antena 31 television station, was insulted and thrown out of the offices of the National Office for Electoral Processes (Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales, ONPE) in Huánuco by the head of that body, Marco Antonio Montalvo Torres, and other personnel. The journalist had gone to the ONPE offices to request an interview with Montalvo. The incident occurred in Huánuco region in central Peru.

Zimbabwe

CORRECTION: Retraction of MISA alert on alleged acquittal of ANZ journalists

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a MISA correction:

Lesotho

MISA victory ensures media access to public information

(MISA/IFEX) - The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Lesotho has acted decisively to ensure that public and private media have equal access to public information about the upcoming Commonwealth Speakers' Conference in Lesotho starting on 2 November 2005.

Morocco

Weekly ordered to pay massive libel damages for second time in three months

(RSF/IFEX) - The sentence of 900,000 dirhams (82,300 euros) in damages and a fine of 10,000 dirhams (915 euros) that a Casablanca court passed against the independent weekly "TelQuel" on 24 October 2005 for libelling the head of a child relief NGO is "out of all proportion," Reporters Without Borders has said, while accusing the judicial authorities of hounding the weekly in recent months.

Colombia

Rampant self-censorship inhibits coverage of armed conflict and human rights abuses, concludes CPJ report

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

Tunisia

Hamadi Jebali ends hunger strike after five weeks

(RSF/IFEX) - Imprisoned journalist Hamadi Jebali has called off the hunger strike he began on 15 September 2005, Reporters Without Borders has learned in a phone call with his wife Wahida Jebali, who said she was allowed to visit him on 25 October. He ended his hunger strike on 21 October.

Swaziland

Photojournalist threatened by member of parliament

(MISA/IFEX) - On 26 October 2005, "Times of Swaziland" photojournalist Mkhulisi Magongo was threatened with violence and prevented from carrying out his duties by a member of parliament (MP) who was appearing in court on fraud charges.

Greece

"Presstime" newspaper journalists charged after article criticising defence minister

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

Mexico

Detained director of "El Orbe" newspaper released, charged with defamation of Chiapas governor

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - On 27 October 2005, Enrique Zamora Cruz, director of "El Orbe" regional newspaper, was detained in Tapachula, Chiapas state, and accused of defamation. Agents from the Chiapas attorney general's office detained Zamora and took him to the coastal zone branch office to question him. He was held incommunicado for several hours while being questioned and informed he was charged with the defamation of Chiapas state governor Pablo Salazar Mendiguchia. Zamora was freed at dawn on 28 October.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Publisher of privately-owned newspaper abducted

(JED/IFEX) - Jean-Marie Kanku, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "L'Alerte", was abducted in the early afternoon of 28 October 2005 on Lumumba Boulevard in Kinshasa/N'Djili by three armed men in plain clothes who took him to a still unknown destination.

Yemen

Al-Arabiya camera operator hospitalised due to beating by police

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the beating which Moujib Soueileh, a camera operator with the Arabic-language satellite TV news station Al-Arabiya, received from police in Sanaa on 20 October 2005 while filming a demonstration by textile factory workers demanding payment of wage arrears.

Zimbabwe

Charges against ANZ journalists dropped

(MISA/IFEX) - The State has dropped charges against 40 Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe journalists accused of practicing journalism without accreditation under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Mexico

Chiapas state authorities harass regional daily over hurricane relief coverage

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest of Enrique Zamora Cruz, the editor of the regional daily "El Orbe", following a 27 October 2005 libel charge in Tapachula, in the southern state of Chiapas, as well as attempts to intimidate two of his reporters, Alvaro Islas Hernández and Roberto Corado Mosqueda, and his editorial writer, Ángel Mario Ksheratto.

Pakistan

Cases against seven journalists remain unresolved despite government promise to withdraw charges

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

Vietnam

CPJ calls for lifting of restrictions on prominent writer Nguyen Dan Que

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 October 2005 CPJ statement and letter to Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong:

Brazil

Website editor arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on Brazil to repeal its press offences law, which enabled the arrest on 26 October 2005 of editor and commentator José de Arimatéia Azevedo, of the website Portal AZ (http://www.portalaz.com.br), which was shut down by a judge in Teresina (capital of the northern state of Piauí).

Niger

Businessman attacks and threatens to kill radio host

(RSF/IFEX) - On 26 October 2005, radio host Nouhou Arzika was attacked by Moussa Dan Foulani, a businessman with close ties to the government. Arzika is president of the Coalitian Against the High Cost of Living and also hosts two programmes on privately-owned radio stations.

Kazakhstan

Two opposition newspapers found guilty of "spreading falsehoods"

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - Court proceedings against two opposition newspapers took place in the Almaty Inter-district Administrative Court on 22 October 2005. The court delivered a ruling obliging Gulzhan Yergaliyeva, editor-in-chief of "Svoboda Slova" newspaper, to pay 50 "monthly calculated indexes" (approx. US$360). Yergaliyeva and her attorney left the courtroom in the middle of the session in protest against the court, which according to Yergalieva, had violated the law.

The Gambia

Editor detained and interrogated

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

Venezuela

IAPA protests temporary closure of newspaper

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 27 October 2005 IAPA press release:

Peru

Radio journalist stalked

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 26 October 2005, journalist Róger Chávez Neyra, of Radio Solidaridad station, told IPYS that in recent days he has been followed by individuals both on foot and in cars. The journalist is based in the city of Uchiza, Tocache, in the San Martín region, northeastern Peru.

Mauritania

New military leader promises to amend press law and let RFI resume FM broadcasts

(RSF/IFEX) - During a 25 October 2005 meeting, Mauritania's new military leader, Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, assured a Reporters Without Borders delegation that the new government will promote democratic press reforms during the current transition. He also said the French public radio station, Radio France Internationale (RFI), will soon be able to resume FM broadcasts in Mauritania.

Nepal

Supreme Court order delays government action against Kantipur FM radio station

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a CEHURDES statement:

Israel

Political interference poses threat to public broadcaster's independence

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

Cambodia

Civil society leaders push for release of jailed media members

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is an alert filed by SEAPA with information provided by the Cambodian Association for Protection of Journalists (CAPJ):

Venezuela

Journalists denied access to hospital premises

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 21 October 2005, journalists Iralyz Muñoz, of the daily "Nueva Prensa", Raiza Villa, of "El Diario de Guayana", and Armando Arevalo, of "Correo del Caroní" newspaper, were denied access to the Uyapar Hospital emergency department by the security guards. The reporters were covering the case of a person who was wounded in an alleged confrontation with the police and who apparently passed away in the hospital. According to the security personnel, the order came from hospital director Osmely Bracho. The incident occurred in Ciudad Guayana, southern Venezuela.

Sri Lanka

State broadcaster's news director assaulted in chairman's office

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

Kyrgyzstan

Protesters attack and threaten journalists

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

Nepal

Government threatens to revoke radio station's licence

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

Uzbekistan

Harassment of foreign media in wake of Andijan massacre prompts BBC to close Tashkent bureau

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

Serbia / Montenegro

Offices of Vranje-based weekly ransacked

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is an ANEM statement followed by a 25 October 2005 letter by "Vranjske" director and editor-in-chief Vukasin Obradovic:

International

IPI concerned by FIFA embargo on World Cup images

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

China

Internet writer missing after reporting on steel worker protests

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

United States

Detained Al-Jazeera cameraman allegedly asked to inform on station; held for nearly four years without charge

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

Tunisia

RSF urges government to heed demands of "18 October Movement" hunger strikers

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has urged the Tunisian authorities to take account of the demands of eight opposition figures who began an indefinite hunger strike on 18 October to demand respect for freedom of expression and association in Tunisia and the release of all prisoners of conscience. The hunger strikers include Lotfi Hajji, the head of the Tunisian Journalists Union (SJT).

Venezuela

Newspaper editor insulted by protesters

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 21 October 2005, Teodoro Petkoff, editor of the daily "TalCual", was insulted by protesters while he was getting ready to present his book on the leftist movements in Venezuela, titled "Dos Izquierdas" ("Two Lefts").

Peru

Journalist fears for her safety after receiving more threats

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 23 October 2005, Julia Saldaña, a journalist for "La Republica" group of newspapers, said she was feeling under threat after receiving several text messages which warn that she will be discredited "by an invasion into her private life." In recent days, a number of people who know Saldaña in Iquitos, a city in Loreto region, eastern Peru, have received the messages on their mobile phones. The journalist had previously received death threats in September, via text messages sent to her father's mobile phone.

Argentina

IAPA condemns access to information barriers

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 21 October 2005 IAPA press release:

Mexico

Newspaper editor receives death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned death threats allegedly made by the muncipal police chief of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in the southern state of Chiapas, against Concepción Villafuerte, editor of the local daily "La Foja Coleta".

Colombia

Journalist receives threats in Bogotá

(FLIP/IFEX) - Diva Jessurum del Río, a journalist for RCN Televisión, has been the target of threats and harassment in recent months. In the latest incident, on 14 October 2005, two unknown individuals came to her apartment building in Bogotá. Angered by the fact that she was not home at the time, the assailants insulted the building security guard and broke some windows.

Angola

National Assembly president accuses independent media of instigating a "new civil war"

(MISA/IFEX) - On October 12, 2005, the President of Angola's National Assembly accused local independent media of instigating a new civil war in the country.

Nigeria

Broadcasting authority allows private broadcasters to reopen

(MRA/IFEX) - On 24 October 2005, Nigeria's broadcasting regulatory agency, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), authorized Daar Communications Limited, operators of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and RayPower FM, to reopen the stations, which were shut down the previous day over alleged unprofessional coverage of an airliner crash in which all 117 passengers and crew members died.

Indonesia

IFJ urges authorities to fast track inquiry into missing reporter

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 October 2005 IFJ media release:

The Gambia

Government shutters Senegalese-owned radio station

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

Iraq

Journalists' hotel attacked in Baghdad

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

International

Support sought for Citizens' Summit on the Information Society

(AMARC/IFEX) - The following is a press release circulated by AMARC on behalf of the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society:

China

Journalist Ching Cheong imprisoned without lawyer for six months

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

Police detain Reuters correspondent at Kinshasa airport for several hours, confiscate tapes

(JED/IFEX) - On 21 October 2005, Marlene Rabot, Kinshasa correspondent for the British news agency Reuters, was detained for more than six hours by Airway Authority (Régie des Voies Aériennes) police at Kinshasa/N'Djili International Airport on the order of an unidentified commander from the Airport Security Agency (Agence pour la Sécurité des Aéroports). Rabot was released in the early evening after several officials intervened, including the ministers of transport and press and information, but her tapes were confiscated.

International

EFJ warns of threats to press freedom in EU debate over anti-terrorism policy

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 October 2005 media release by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an IFJ regional group:

Nepal

New media ordinance to be challenged before Supreme Court

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 October 2005 IFJ media release:

Nigeria

Private broadcaster shut down over plane crash coverage

(MRA/IFEX) - On 23 October 2005, Nigeria's broadcasting regulatory agency, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), shut down the country's leading privately-owned radio and television group over alleged unprofessional coverage of an airliner crash in which 117 passengers and crew members died.

Afghanistan

Editor sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy

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

Panama

WPFC urges Panamanian president to eliminate crime of "insult"

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 20 October 2005 WPFC letter to Panamanian President Martín Torrijos Espino:

Peru

Newspaper director and editor sentenced to two years' probation

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 18 October 2005, journalists Rolando Rodrich Sarango and Luis Fernando Bahamonde Amaya, director and editor of the Trujillo-based daily "Correo", respectively, were sentenced to two years' probation for defamation. The verdict was announced by Judge César Ortiz Mostacero, of the Ninth Criminal Court of La Libertad region, northwestern Peru.

China

Authorities block access to online encyclopaedia

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on the Chinese authorities to stop blocking access to the website of the independent online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, whose popularity has been growing steadily in China. The site has been unavailable in several provinces, including Shanghai, since 18 October.

Nepal

Leading FM radio station raided by police, equipment seized

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The following is a CEHURDES statement:

Serbia / Montenegro

ANEM urges investigation into prisoner's claims of involvement in Pantic murder

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

Uruguay

Interior minister assigns bodyguards to journalist who was kidnapped, beaten and threatened

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the abduction of radio and TV presenter Marcelo Borrat on 17 October 2005 in Montevideo by hooded assailants who threatened and beat him before letting him go.

Kazakhstan

Almaty police seize 50,000 copies of popular opposition newspaper

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 19 October 2005, the popular opposition newspaper "Svoboda Slova" reported that a car transporting copies of the paper was stopped by Almaty police a few meters from the Dauyr printing press and police proceeded to seize 50,000 copies of the paper.

Iraq

"Guardian" reporter freed in Baghdad; CPJ expresses concern over murder of another journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 October 2005 CPJ press release:

International

CAPSULE REPORT: RSF releases its fourth annual World Press Freedom Index

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 20 October 2005 RSF report:

Bangladesh

CAPSULE REPORT: IFJ concerned about repeated attacks on the press by BNP and militant organisations

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

Belarus

Journalist found dead in apartment

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 October 2005 CPJ press release:

Mozambique

Retrial of accused Cardoso murderer set for December

(MISA/IFEX) - The tenth section of the Maputo City Court has finally set a date, December 1, 2005, for the retrial of Anibal dos Santos Junior ("Anibalzinho"), the man who led the death squad that murdered Mozambique's top investigative journalist, Carlos Cardoso, on November 22, 2000.

Iraq

Spain issues arrest warrants for US soldiers over killing of journalist Jose Couso; French authorities confirm death of cameraman Fred Nérac

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

Uruguay

Journalist assaulted and threatened by armed individuals

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 19 October 2005 IAPA press release:

Nigeria

Jailed publisher of "Weekly Star" charged

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the unconstitutional way in which the authorities arrested "Weekly Star" publisher Owei Kobina Sikpi on 11 October 2005, in the south-eastern oil town of Port Harcourt, and have held him ever since on a charge of publishing false information.

Iraq

Editor shot and killed in Baghdad

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

Sri Lanka

CAPSULE REPORT: IFJ condemns general election violence and anti-democratic media environment

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

Kazakhstan

Five reporters and a camera operator detained briefly by police

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The press agency of the opposition party For a Just Kazakhstan has reported that five journalists and a camera operator were detained briefly by Almaty police on 19 October 2005. They include Saya Issa of "Svoboda Slova" newspaper, Olesya Gassanova and Almas Nurdos of the online publication Stan.kz, Ruslan Sapabekov of "Juma Times-Data nedeli" newspaper, Yeldes Myrzakhmetov of "Respublica-Soz" and Nurlan Daurenbekov, a camera operator for the opposition party's press agency.

Iraq

CPJ calls for immediate release of "Guardian" correspondent

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

Colombia

Two journalists receive death threats in Cartagena

(FLIP/IFEX) - Pedro Luís Mogollón, director of "El Universal" newspaper, and Jacqueline Rhenals, the newspaper's political affairs editor, recently reported that they have been receiving death threats ever since articles on the election in Cartagena appeared in the paper.

Peru

Journalist assaulted

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 16 October 2005, Elías Navarro Palomino, a correspondent for the daily "Correo", was assaulted while trying to cover the story of a drunk man who struck a police officer in Ayacucho, central Peru.

Tajikistan

Prosecutor General's Office blocks journalist's release

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

Thailand

Government moves to regulate opinion polls

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Survey groups, researchers, media practitioners, politicians, and private citizens in Thailand are voicing concern over a government proposal that would impose standards on public opinion surveys.

Iran

Leading Shi'a religious leader and scholar detained for publishing book on Islamic history

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee is seriously concerned about the detention of leading Shi'a religious leader and scholar Grand Ayatollah Yasub al-Din Rastgari, who is believed to have been held since 27 April 2004 for publishing a book on Islamic religious history. PEN first learned of this case in June 2005, and exact details remain difficult to confirm. International PEN seeks confirmation of the charges and sentence against him, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release if held in violation of Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. International PEN is seriously concerned at reports that Ayatollah Rastgari is in poor health and held incommunicado without access to his family. PEN seeks immediate assurances that he is being given any necessary medical treatment in prison, and demands that his basic rights in detention are respected.

Cambodia

PM moves to crush dissent; activists flee in wake of arrests; new assault on freedom of speech

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

Paraguay

Journalist assaulted and threatened by mayor

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - On 10 October 2005, journalist Nicolás Sotelo, director of FM San Juan community radio station in the San Juan del Paraná district, was brutally beaten and threatened by town mayor Aldo Lepretti, of the Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico (PLRA) political party. According to the journalist, Lepretti, angered by criticisms that had been made on Sotelo's programme, damaged the studio and without any explanation began punching and kicking the journalist, and threatened him with a revolver.

Maldives

Journalist Jennifer Latheef sentenced to 10 years in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the 10-year prison sentence imposed on 18 October 2005 on journalist and human rights activist Jennifer Latheef for a supposed "terrorist act," adding that she had been the victim of a political trial.

Iraq

"Guardian" correspondent missing, feared kidnapped

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

Iran

Tehran seeking new ways to censor the Internet and track dissidents

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has accused the Iranian government of seeking to increase its control of the Internet in recent measures that have included contracting an Iranian company, Delta Global, to set up a new online censorship system.

International

CPJ names winners of International Press Freedom Awards

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

Colombia

Photographer assaulted by demonstrators

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the afternoon of 10 October 2005, John Jairo Bonilla García, a freelance photographer for "El Tiempo Café" newspaper, was hit on the head by a rock which rendered him unconscious. The cut required 12 stitches. The incident occurred in Pereira, Risaralda department, in western Colombia, while Bonilla was covering a demonstration by indigenous people protesting a proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement.

Afghanistan

IFJ concerned about health of editor on trial for blasphemy

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 October 2005 IFJ media release:

Cuba

Imprisoned journalist attempts suicide

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced deep concern about the condition of imprisoned journalist Mario Enrique Mayo Hernández after his wife and mother reported that he tried to commit suicide twice and is still determined to end his life. He has been detained since March 2003 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Botswana

Radio station and programme host threatened with legal action

(MISA/IFEX) - Gabz-FM and the host of its "Consumer Watchdog" programme, Kate Harriman, have been threatened with legal action by Shoprite (Retail Holding Botswana).

Malawi

Parliament rejects radio station's offer to cover live debate

(MISA/IFEX) - Parliament has rejected an application by the newly launched Zodiak Radio station to cover live proceedings of the House. The national legislature has been sitting since October 11 2005.

Argentina

News photographer badly beaten at police station

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders said it was appalled by the severe beating that photographer Leandro López of the local daily "El Sol" received at the hands of police officers on the grounds of the central police station in Concordia, a city in the eastern province of Entre Ríos on 10 October 2005. López sustained facial injuries and his hearing was damaged by blows to the head.

Senegal

Ban on Sud FM lifted; detained journalists released but some may face charges

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

"La Vérité" publisher granted conditional release

(JED/IFEX) - Jean-Jacques Luboya N'Samba Shake, publisher of the Lubumbashi-based weekly "La Vérité" ("The Truth"), who was arrested on 13 October 2005, was released on bail at around noon on 15 October, after a conditional release order was handed down by a Lubumbashi high court. Luboya was ordered to post bail in the amount of 80,000 Congolese Francs (approx. US$170) and must appear before the court every Tuesday and Friday for the duration of the investigation.

Kazakhstan

Journalist sentenced to five days' administrative detention for covering opposition demonstration

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 12 October 2005 in Almaty, Kaziz Toguzbayev, a journalist with "Azat" newspaper, was sentenced to five days' administrative detention on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration under Article 373 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Chechnya (Russia)

Authorities continue to harass editor and newspaper for their reporting on Chechnya

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 October 2005 CPJ letter to President Vladimir Putin:

Sri Lanka

CPJ condemns violent attacks on newspapers

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

Philippines

Television reporter stalked

(CMFR/IFEX) - A local television reporter recently sought police help when two motorcycle-riding men tailed him while he was on his way home in General Santos City, 980 km south of Manila.

Croatia

Journalist released from prison; pleads not guilty at UN tribunal

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

Singapore

Outgoing US envoy slams Singapore over suppression of free expression

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On October 11 2005, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Singapore criticized the city-state's suppression of political expression and suggested that its repression of dissent and criticism is incongruent with its aspirations in a century driven by access to information.

International

IPI and SEEMO demand reform of Hague Tribunal's Rule 77

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 14 October 2005 press release by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

Senegal

Police silence Sud FM radio stations throughout the country

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has expressed shock and condemnation of a heavy-handed police crackdown that saw all Sud FM radio affiliates throughout the country shuttered on 17 October 2005. The stations' employees have also been arrested.

Swaziland

Journalist assaulted by professional soccer player

(MISA/IFEX) - On 16 October 2005, "Times of Swaziland" sports journalist Douglas Dlamini was assaulted by a soccer player for publishing a court report in which the player was charged with drinking and driving.

Philippines

Photojournalist held by military

(CMFR/IFEX) - After mistaking him for a rebel, a photojournalist working for a national daily was held by local police and military on 4 October 2005 in Tarlac City, around 130 kilometers north of Manila.

Maldives

Two "Minivan Daily" journalists arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the release of journalists Mohamed Nasheed (alias Colonel Nasheed) and Abdullah Saeed, both from the opposition publication "Minivan Daily", who have been arrested in the capital Malé.

Sri Lanka

Arson attack on printing press

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

Iraq / United States

Journalists come under U.S. fire near Baghdad "Green Zone"

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 October 2005 CPJ letter to Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq:

Peru

Radio premises doused with fuel

(IPYS/IFEX) - Early on the morning of 11 October 2005, a group of unknown individuals doused the entrance of Radio Panorama station in the city of Andahuaylas, Apurímac region, southeastern Peru, with a combustible fuel. The liquid spread into the station through a grate. The assailants did not set fire to the building. Later that same morning, the station's owners filed a complaint with the Andahuaylas police after being informed of the incident by a station technician.

China

Two French journalists denied visas

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Chinese government's refusal to issue tourist visas to French journalists Jean-Claude Buhrer, "Le Monde" newspaper's former correspondent at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, and Claude B. Levenson, a specialist in Tibet.

Kazakhstan

CAPSULE REPORT: Abusive government measures targeting independent media bode ill for free elections, says Human Rights Watch

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 12 October 2005 Human Rights Watch press release:

Tunisia

IFLA/FAIFE report on the current state of intellectual freedom in Tunisia

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

Tajikistan

Journalist released from prison after court ruling

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 12 October 2005 CPJ press release:

Sierra Leone

President Kabbah signals he is finally ready to amend draconian defamation law

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced interest in statements by Sierra Leonean officials that President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is at last ready to amend a criminal defamation law included in the Public Order Act, which dates back to colonial times. The law's victims include "For Di People" editor Paul Kamara, who was unjustly sentenced to four years in prison in October 2004.

Peru

Shots fired at journalist's house

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the night of 11 October 2005, Félix Adrianzén Gonzáles, editor of "El Paisa" weekly, was at home preparing the next issue of the publication when two shots were fired through a window hitting his living room wall. As he ran out of the house, the journalist saw a man with a hood over his head fleeing on a motorcycle driven by a second man. The attack occurred in the province of Jaén, Cajamarca region, northern Peru.

Ethiopia

Authorities harass, intimidate leaders of local journalists' association

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

International

IAPA General Assembly issues conclusions on state of press freedom in the Americas

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is an 11 October 2005 IAPA press release:

Australia

Contempt of court charges filed against two reporters

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

Algeria

RSF very concerned about health of editor Mohamed Benchicou

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on international organisations to urgently send a doctor to check the worsening health of newspaper editor Mohamed Benchicou, who has been in prison since June 2004 serving a two-year sentence for libel.

France

RSF alarmed as five journalists put under investigation in cycling doping case

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders said it was concerned and shocked after an examining judge in the Paris suburb of Nanterre placed five journalists under investigation on 12 and 13 October 2005.

Morocco

Journalist launches hunger strike after more than three years in jail under false pretences

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of imprisoned journalist Abderrahmane El Badraoui, who began an indefinite hunger strike on 7 October 2005 in protest against his transfer on 5 October to Mohdya prison, near Casablanca, 150 km from Rabat, where his family lives.

Nigeria

Publisher jailed over money laundering story

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

Publisher arrested on defamation charge

(JED/IFEX) - Jean-Jacques Luboya N'Samba Shake, publisher of the Lubumbashi-based weekly "La Vérité" ("The Truth"), was arrested and taken into custody at Lubumbashi High Court detention centre on 13 October 2005. The decision to arrest Luboya was taken by State Prosecutor Médard Luyamba after a defamation complaint was brought by a Mr. Vikas, an Indian businessman, and Lebanese businessmen Ali Hamoud and Mahomet Hamoud. Lubumbashi is the capital of Katanga province, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Honduras

Court acquits journalists and police officers accused of defamation

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - On 13 October 2005, the Comayagua Tribunal, in the city of Marcala, central department of La Paz, acquitted five police officers and two journalists. The accused were facing defamation charges for revealing information implicating high-ranking officials in the smuggling of lumber, coffee and grains on the border with El Salvador.

China

Cyberdissident Zhang Lin ends hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has learned that Zhang Lin started eating again on 28 September 2005, almost one month after beginning a hunger strike. The cyberdissident, sentenced to five years in prison in August for writing articles "contrary to the Constitution", has been left extremely weak from his ordeal.

Colombia

Photographer obstructed by police officer in Pereira

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 7 October 2005, FLIP reported that Jhon Alexander Chica, a photographer for "El Tiempo Café" newspaper based in Pereira, was obstructed by a policeman when he attempted to photograph police officers assaulting a street vendor.

Ukraine

Government rescinds decree requiring online publications to register

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the Ukrainian Transport and Telecommunications Ministry's decision to rescind a May 2005 decree requiring online publications to register with the authorities. The requirement was a threat to free expression and had been criticised by many local organisations and media outlets.

Kazakhstan

One journalist attacked, another's apartment broken into

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 1 and 2 October 2005, Mikhail Mysikov, owner and editor of the "Region Plus" newspaper, was attacked and the apartment of Vladimir Taran, a journalist with the same paper, was broken into in the southern town of Kapchagai.

Mexico

Radio reporter beaten unconscious by brothers of former mayor

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the severe beating of Radio La Poderosa reporter Agustín Chávez on 3 October 2005 in Tlaxiaco (in the southern state of Oaxaca) by brothers of the town's former mayor, whose allegedly corrupt administration has been the subject of reports by Chávez.

Rwanda

RSF delegation meets with detained priest, calls for his immediate release

(RSF/IFEX) - After visiting Rwanda from 30 September to 6 October 2005 and meeting with detained Belgian priest Guy Theunis, the former editor of the Rwandan magazine "Dialogue", Reporters Without Borders insists that the charges against him were politically motivated and baseless and reiterates its call for his immediate release.

Uzbekistan

Critic of Andijan massacre arrested

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

Palestine

Two foreign journalists briefly abducted in Gaza

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 12 October 2005 CPJ press release:

Cambodia

PM files criminal defamation charges against radio station director

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 12 October 2005 CPJ press release:

Haiti

RSF open letter to presidential candidates calls for break with culture of impunity

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 10 October 2005 RSF press release:

China

CPJ alarmed by series of violent attacks on journalists covering political dispute in village

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

Iran

Writer and women's rights activist Roya Toloui released on bail

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee welcomes the release on bail on 5 October 2005 of writer and women's rights activist Dr. Roya Toloui, who was among several prominent Kurdish human rights defenders and journalists to be detained on 2 August 2005 following protests in the city of Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan. International PEN remains concerned that Dr. Toloui still faces charges, and calls for all charges against her to be dropped in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory.

Thailand

Shin Corp lawsuit created "climate of fear," media activist tells Bangkok Criminal Court

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Thai media activist Supinya Klangnarong has denied that she defamed media and telecom giant Shin Corp when she made comments, published in a local newspaper in 2003, on the company's rising profit and its relationship with the ruling Thai Rak Thai party.

Afghanistan

Editor goes on trial for blasphemy

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

Ukraine

Journalist continues to receive death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko to do everything possible to punish the perpetrators after journalist Natalia Vlassova, of Kanal 34 television, was brutally beaten on 4 October 2005, in Dnipropetrovsk, in the east of the country.

Colombia

More journalists receive death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the death threats which three journalists in the northeastern department of César have been receiving since the beginning of October 2005 and called for a rapid response from the authorities. The latest targets are Enrique Alfonso Camargo Plata of Radio Guatapurí, Galo Bravo Picossa, editor of the daily "El Pilón", and Miguel Macea, correspondent for Noticias Uno and Tele Caribe.

Lebanon

CPJ urges UN to expand Lebanon inquiry to include journalist attacks

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ statement and letter to UN Security Council President Mihnea Ioan Motoc:

Tanzania

NGO banned from publishing studies about education system

(MISA/IFEX) - Tanzania's Ministry of Education and Culture has banned a non-governmental organisation (NGO), HakiElimu, from undertaking and publishing studies regarding Tanzania's education system. The ban became effective on September 8, 2005.

Nepal

IPI calls on authorities to rescind media ordinance

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

Zambia

Reporter beaten, forced to erase material from tape

(MISA/IFEX) - On 4 October 2005, Q-FM radio reporter Wamunyima Walubita was forced to erase material from his tape recorder which documented his mistreatment by police in order to secure his release from detention.

China

Two foreign reporters beaten for trying to probe village corruption cover-up

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has denounced the physical attack on two foreign journalists by militiamen and thugs in a village in southern China and the news blackout that local leaders have imposed on corruption and mafia-style activities there.

Azerbaijan

Fourteen journalists beaten by police while covering opposition demonstration

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev to take immediate steps to protect journalists following a wave of violence against the media in the run-up to parliamentary elections on 6 November 2005.

Togo

Opposition weekly editor badly beaten

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about a physical attack on Jean-Baptiste Dzilan (also known as Dimas Dzikodo), managing editor of the opposition weekly "Forum de la Semaine", who was badly beaten by unidentified individuals on the night of 9 October 2005 in Lomé.

Cambodia

Police officer files criminal defamation suit against newspaper

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 October 2005 IFJ media release:

Ukraine

Journalist beaten and warned to halt investigation

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

Croatia

Journalist arrested; facing extradition to UN war crimes tribunal

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

Sri Lanka

FMM expresses concern to military commanders over branding of filmmakers as "terrorists"

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM letter to Lieutenant General Shantha Kottegoda and Vice Admiral Vasantha Karannagoda:

Cuba

Journalist Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona ends hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced relief over the decision by imprisoned Cuban journalist Víctor Rolando Arroyo Carmona on 4 October 2005 to end the hunger strike he had begun 25 days earlier, but the organisation stressed that it was still very worried about his state of health.

Azerbaijan

Freedom of expression curtailed as parliamentary elections approach

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

Colombia

News director receives death threats

(IPYS/IFEX) - Enrique Alfonso Camargo Plata, director of four news programmes for Radio Guatapurí, in Valledupar, César department, northern Colombia, received two death threats on 1 and 2 October 2005. The first message came by telephone; the second was sent as a text message to his cellular phone the next day.

Rwanda

Authorities to allow transfer of former editor who faces death penalty for alleged role in genocide

(RSF/IFEX) - On 4 October 2005, the Rwandan authorities said they had agreed to transfer responsibility for carrying out the judicial investigation against Father Guy Theunis to Belgium at the latter's request. The Belgian Foreign Ministry said the two countries would have "detailed talks on the technical modalities" for implementing this agreement. Theunis, who is Belgian, would be transferred back to Belgium as soon as the judicial investigation gets underway there. The former editor-in-chief of the Rwandan magazine "Dialogue", Theunis was recently accused by the Rwandan authorities of having a role in planning and inciting the 1994 genocide. He is currently being held in the main prison in Kigali.

Tunisia

RSF concerned about deteriorating health of Hamadi Jebali, on hunger strike for three weeks

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 5 October 2005 RSF press release:

Brazil

IAPA hails trials of journalists' accused murderers

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 4 October 2005 IAPA press release:

Philippines

Assassination attempt on journalist unlikely to be work-related, newspaper and police say

(CMFR/IFEX) - A business reporter writing for a local weekly barely clung to life after being shot in the back by a gunman on 4 October 2005 in General Santos City, around 980 kilometres south of Manila.

Canada

Writer and journalist Paul William Roberts winner of inaugural PEN Canada/Paul Kidd Courage Award

(PEN Canada/IFEX) - The following is a 5 October 2005 PEN Canada press release:

Iraq

CAPSULE REPORT: Pentagon remains silent as U.S. military imprisons local journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 4 October 2005 CPJ capsule report:

Philippines

Authorities close in on two suspects in Agustin killing

(CMFR/IFEX) - With the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), authorities are now reportedly closing in on two suspects in the killing of publisher-editor Philip Agustin. Agustin was killed on 10 May 2005 in Dingalan, Aurora, just northeast of metropolitan Manila.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi agency blocks access to weblog creation and hosting service

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called on the Internet Services Unit (ISU), the agency that manages Web filtering in Saudi Arabia, to explain why the weblog creation and hosting service blogger.com has been made inaccessible since 3 October 2005, preventing Saudi bloggers from updating their blogs.

Ghana

Newspaper editor questioned

(MFWA/IFEX) - The Ghana Police Service's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has questioned Osbert Lartey, editor of the Accra-based weekly "Vanguard", over a an article he published that included damaging allegations against former president Jerry John Rawlings.

Guinea

Issue of weekly "Jeune Afrique l'Intelligent" barred from newsstands

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 25 September 2005, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation Kiridi Bangoura barred the sale of issue 2333 of the weekly "Jeune Afrique l'Intelligent" ("JA") from newsstands.

Macedonia

Appeals Court annuls lower court ruling in case of Albanian journalist

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 4 October 2005 letter by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an IPI affiliate:

Venezuela

Journalists barred from entering stadium

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 19 September 2005, a team of journalists from the daily "El Guayanes" was not allowed to carry out its work after it was barred from entering La Ceiba stadium in Guayana City, northeastern Venezuela. The order to bar the team came from Nilson Meza, director of the Bolivar State Sports Institute (IDEBOL).

Thailand

Prime minister files criminal and civil lawsuits against two journalists

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has filed criminal and civil lawsuits against media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul and demanded 500 million baht (over US$12 million) in damages for slander in Sondhi's banned political talk show.

Philippines

Five journalists face libel suit for linking local official to bank robbery

(CMFR/IFEX) - Five journalists face libel charges for publishing stories implicating a municipal mayor as the mastermind of a 94 million-peso (approx. US$1.7 million) bank robbery in Bogo, Cebu province, south of Manila.

Nepal

Imprisoned journalist Maheshwor Pahari dies after being denied medical treatment

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced outrage at the death of imprisoned journalist Maheshwor Pahari from tuberculosis on 4 October 2005 after the authorities repeatedly refused to treat him. He was aged just 30.

Philippines

Reporter shot, seriously wounded

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

Iceland

Newspaper raided by police

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

China

Popular online bulletin board shuttered

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

Senegal

Three radio stations shuttered by religious leader

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

Colombia

Three journalists face defamation complaint

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 19 September 2005, Carlos Eduardo Huertas, of "Semana" magazine, received a letter informing him that Alfonso Hilsaca Eljadue, a public works contractor, had filed a criminal complaint against him for defamation and insult. Details of the legal action, which was submitted to the Cartagena Prosecutor's Office, appeared on the front page of the local edition of "El Universal" newspaper on 25 September. Hilsaca has also launched criminal proceedings against "Portafolio" newspaper columnist Rodolfo Segovia Salas and "Cambio" magazine editor Mauricio Vargas.

Afghanistan

Editor of women's rights magazine arrested

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

Peru

Public Prosecutor's Office accuses journalist of inciting violence

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 29 September 2005, Fernando Santos Rojas, a journalist with Radio Futura station, was accused by the Second Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Satipo, a city in central Peru, of inciting violence the previous day. On 28 September, nearly 1,000 citizens attacked the Satipo police station to protest the death of the Marankiari community's ex-deputy governor. According to Santos, all he did was report on the former deputy governor's suspicious death while in police custody. He did not incite the community to violence.

China

Two websites closed because of "separatist" content

(RSF/IFEX) - The closure on 26 September 2005 of http://www.ehoron.com and http://www.monhgal.com, two websites based in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, for allegedly hosting "separatist" content, is the result of the Chinese government's determination to gag cultural minorities, RSF said.

Kazakhstan

Two staff members of "Altyn Gasyr" newspaper attacked

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 27 August 2005, Kazhymurat Abilkaliyev, assistant editor of "Altyn Gasyr" newspaper, was severely assaulted by four unidentified men in the village of Geolog, Atyrau region (western Kazakhstan), while distributing copies of his newspaper. Abilkaliyev was driving a car at the time of the incident. Police have yet to find his attackers.

Tunisia

Imprisoned journalist's health said to deteriorate

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

Cambodia

Radio Free Asia journalist narrowly escapes attack by army officer

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is an alert filed by SEAPA with information provided by the Cambodian Association for Protection of Journalists (CAPJ):

Greece

Another sports journalist assaulted

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

Ukraine

Celebrity magazine editor targeted by bomb attack

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF said it was shocked by a home-made bomb attack early on 30 September 2005 on the car of Walid Harfouch, managing editor of the Ukrainian celebrity magazine "Paparazzi", saying it was clearly aimed at preventing an issue due out later in the day with a cover story about President Viktor Yushchenko's son, Andriy.