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Alerts - 2006 - January-March

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Nepal

Home ministry pressures independent radio stations to broadcast anti-strike announcement

(FNJ/IFEX) - The Home Ministry has sent letters asking Kathmandu-based independent radio stations to broadcast a "Home Ministry request" urging people not to participate in the four-day general strike called by the seven-party alliance for 6 - 9 April 2006.

Belarus

Writer Andrej Dynko released after ten days in jail, publishes prison diary

(WiPC/IFEX) - Writer and journalist Andrej Dynko, arrested with hundreds of other protestors in the days surrounding the 19 March 2006 presidential elections, was freed on 31 March after serving a 10-day sentence. He had been accused of "hooliganism" for allegedly using "vulgar language". PEN Centres world wide protested against his arrest and that of other writers and journalists. PEN continues to call for the release of others who remain detained and for an end to the attacks on those whose only act has been to practice their rights to freedom of expression and association.

Vanuatu

PINA condemns police assaults on journalist, publisher

(PINA/IFEX) - The following is a PINA letter to Police Commissioner Arthur Caulton:

The Gambia

Journalists say reason for their on-going detention is unclear

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 March 206 CPJ press release:

Vietnam

Authorities deny arrest of fourth user of Internet discussion forum "Paltalk"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders notes that the Vietnamese authorities have denied the arrest of a fourth user of the discussion forum Paltalk, which the organisation first reported in a 16 March 2006 release.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED urges the government to explain the attack on "Tropicana TV" by the local police

(JED/IFEX) - Journaliste en danger (JED), is expressing deep concern over the attack on the Kinshasa-based private television station "Tropicana TV" by local policemen. According to information gathered by JED, late in the morning on 31 March 2006, about ten gunmen belonging to special police services forcibly entered the "Tropicana TV" offices. Led by captain Thierry, the gunmen forced open the gates of the station, entered the building and threatened all the staff working therein. Also, they arrested the editor, Diego Mfisia, beat him seriously and placed him under custody for three hours in the Kinshasa "Kin Mazière" police station.

Peru

Radio journalist assaulted by judge's relatives

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the evening of 23 March 2006, journalist Julio César Mendoza, director of Radio MBR's programme "El Matador", was assaulted by relatives of Judge Judith Amelia Vela Domper while he was heading home. According to Mendoza, the attack was in response to his criticisms of Vela's conduct in several lawsuits of which she is in charge in the Second Mixed Court of Alto Amazonas province. The event took place in Yurimaguas, capital of Alto Amazonas province, in northeastern Peru.

Paraguay

CPJ places journalist on its "missing" list, urges authorities to conduct investigation

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Australia

Surveillance laws passed by senate pose severe threat to press freedom, says MEAA

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

Venezuela

Policeman takes journalist to court for defamation

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 29 March 2006, the second hearing took place of a legal action against journalist Mireya Zurita, editor of the Aragua state newspaper "El Siglo". Deputy police inspector Terry Rojas, of the Institute for Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations (Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas, CICPC) of the central region, accused the journalist of defamation because of a paid advertisement published in "El Siglo" on 23 July 2003. The action was filed in September of that same year.

Kenya

Editorial cartoonist threatened with legal actions for depictions of minister

(CRN/IFEX) - CRN has received a report that early in February 2006 a cartoonist for the Nairobi-based "The Daily Nation", Godfrey Mwampembwa, was served with a letter from the solicitors of Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Martha Karua.

Venezuela

Journalists assaulted by supporters of the National Electoral Council president

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 28 March 2006, Globovisión journalist Rafael Fuenmayor, RCTV's Yanitza León and radio RCR's Adriana Rodríguez, were assaulted by supporters of the National Electoral Council president, Jorge Rodríguez.

Algeria / Turkmenistan

Jailed Algerian newspaper publisher, banned Turkmen novelist to receive 2006 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards

Jailed Algerian Newspaper Publisher, Banned Turkmen Novelist to Receive 2006 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards

Mexico

Judge holds journalist responsible for moral damage to first lady's son

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 28 March 2006, Argentine journalist Olga Wornat was found guilty of causing moral damage to Manuel Bribiesca, son of Mexico's First Lady, Martha Sahagún. Bribiesca filed a suit against the journalist in May 2005 after she described in her book, "Crónicas Malditas", the luxuries and privileges that he allegedly enjoys. The civil law judge, Bruno Cruz Jiménez, ordered the journalist to change the book chapter in question and pay an indemnity, the amount of which has still not been set. Wornat will appeal the judge's decision.

Colombia

Journalist briefly kidnapped, her life threatened

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the evening of 15 March 2006, journalist Elizabeth Vargas Pacheco, director of the Democratic Association for the Defense of Human Rights (Asociación Democrática Para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos, ASDEH), was kidnapped for nearly two hours after a stranger boarded, with the driver's consent, the taxi in which she was heading home. The man was armed; he threatened to kill her and told her that "they" knew of her work. Her money and her mobile phone were stolen.

Australia

Prime minister's office has spoof website closed down

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced shock at the methods used by the office of Australian Prime Minister John Howard to censor parody website http://www.Johnhowardpm.org, on which political commentator Richard Neville hosted a spoof speech by Howard about the presence of Australian troops in Iraq.

Burma

Two journalists receive three-year sentences for photographing new capital

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association have voiced outrage at the three-year prison sentences imposed on journalists U Thaung Sein (also known as Thar Cho) and Ko Moe Thun (also known as Ko Kyaw Thwin) for photographing and filming in the new capital, Pyinmana, and thereby allegedly violating article 32 (A) of the Television and Video Act.

International

CAPSULE REPORT: IPI releases its 2005 World Press Freedom Review

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

Thailand

Protesters supportive of prime minister harass newspaper

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Thai journalist groups are condemning what they see as an act of "intimidation" against a local daily by protesters sympathetic to embattled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Iraq

CPJ welcomes release of freelance reporter Jill Carroll

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

Russia

Authorities harass independent news sites, citing need to combat extremism

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about government harassment of three of Russia's leading news websites since the start of the March. One, Pravda.ru (http://www.pravda.ru), was temporarily closed down. Another, Bankfax.ru (http://www.bankfax.ru), is being prosecuted. A third, Gazeta.ru (http://www.gazeta.ru), has received a public warning. All three are accused of spreading extremist ideas.

India

Ban on radio station in Bihar state illustrates unfairness of broadcast law

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has expressed dismay at the closure of Radio Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 under the Indian Telegraphs Act after the station, which its founder said he launched for less than a dollar, garnered international plaudits.

Peru

Chimbote journalist receives new death threat

(IPYS/IFEX) - At midday on 28 March 2006, TV channel 31 "Confidencial" programme journalist Marilú Gambini received a death threat by telephone while she was covering a conference in the city of Chimbote, northwestern Peru. According to Gambini, who investigates drug trafficking issues, a woman stated that she had been given the job of getting rid of her and that the journalist had one week to live. The caller also told the journalist she should take better care of her children as she knew that they were home alone at the time.

Cameroon

A second journalist sentenced in case of "homosexual lists"

(JED/IFEX) - On 24 March 2006, a Yaoundé first instance court handed down a double sentence to Ayisi Biloa, the publication director for the Yaoundé-based "Nouvelle Afrique", for six months' imprisonment. Biloa was accused of libelling Jean-Pierre Mayo and Grégoire Owona, a Cameroonian medical doctor and minister in charge of relationships with assemblies, respectively. The journalist was sentenced to pay a 3 million and 1 million FCFA (approx. 4,500 and 1,500 euros)fine, respectively, to each of the plaintiffs for damages.

Cuba

Independent journalist Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero completes prison sentence, is released on probation

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) hails the release of Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero, a correspondent for the Miami-based Nueva Prensa Cubana website, on completion of a seven-month sentence on 22 March 2006, but deplores the fact that she is on probation.

Sierra Leone

Charges dismissed against editor and newspapers

(MFWA/IFEX) - Sahr Musa Yamba, editor of "Concord Times", an independent newspaper based in Freetown, Sierra Leone who was arrested by plain clothes policemen on 20 March 2006, on the instructions of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Frederick Carew, no longer has a case to answer to after all. On the day following his arrest, Yamba had been asked to report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Guinea

Journalists prevented from covering events featuring the president

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 24 March 2006, by order of Mr. Fodé Bangoura, Minister and Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Guinea, journalists were denied access to the Gbessia Airport in Conakry to cover the return of General Lansana Conté from Geneva, where he had sought medical attention.

The Gambia

Closed newspaper's general manager detained

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

Belarus

More names, sentences of journalists detained in 24 March mass arrest

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Belarus

CJFE denounces arrest and sentencing of Canadian journalist, releases names of others arrested

(CJFE/IFEX) - The following is a 28 March 2006 CJFE media release:

Georgia

Three filmmakers released from prison in breakaway region

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

Maldives

CPJ urges fair, transparent trial for journalist

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

The Gambia

Newspaper shut down, journalist arrested

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

Nepal

International mission to Nepal finds press freedom situation "significantly deteriorated"

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 March 2006 IFJ media release:

Vietnam

Plusieurs journalistes agressés après avoir couvert une affaire de corruption

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières est scandalisée par les agressions et les menaces dont ont été victimes plusieurs journalistes, parmi lesquels un reporter du quotidien "Thanh Nien" ("La Jeunesse") et un autre de l'hebdomadaire "Doi Song Phap Luat" ("Vie et Loi") depuis la semaine du 20 mars 2006 à Hanoi. Ils enquêtaient sur une affaire de corruption impliquant Bui Tien Dung, le directeur général de l'entreprise d'infrastructures PMU18 qui appartient au ministère vietnamien de la Construction. Le directeur de cette entreprise aurait détourné plus de 7 million (environ 6 million d'euros) des fonds de l'Aide étrangère au développement (ODA, Official Development Assistance) pour parier sur des matchs de football européens.

Vietnam

Several journalists beaten after covering corruption case

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has expressed alarm after several journalists reporting on a high-level corruption case were beaten up and threatened in Hanoi.

United States

Concerns raised as FBI agents use pepper spray on reporters

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Thailand

Prime minister files defamation cases against four papers

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Cuba

Condition of two imprisoned journalists on hunger strike deteriorates

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is alarmed about the state of health of two imprisoned journalists who are on hunger strike, Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta and Guillermo Fariñas Hernández. RSF calls for a humanitarian gesture from the Cuban authorities and for foreign embassies in Havana to intercede.

Nepal

Police superintendent threatens journalists with death for reporting on his misdeed

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns a death threat issued against journalists working at a leading weekly newspaper, and a random attack against a journalist in southern Nepal.

Belarus

Journalist detained and beaten by police, several others sentenced to prison or expelled

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Nigeria

Journalist receives death threats over census story

(MRA/IFEX) - Emmanuel Ugwu, a correspondent for "ThisDay" newspaper in Enugu State in southeastern Nigeria, has lodged a complaint with the State Commissioner of Police over death threats he allegedly received following the publication of a story he wrote for his newspaper. The story was about an assault on census enumerators participating in the country's ongoing housing and population census, which allegedly took place in the town of Amankanu.

Russia

Website editor assaulted and injured

(CJES/IFEX) - On 20 March 2006 at about 9:00 p.m. (local time), Marina Litvinovich, the chief editor of Internet site Pravda Beslana and coordinator of the opposition movement "Joint Civil Front", was beaten. The attack took place near the Joint Civil Front office at Makarenko street. Litvinovich told the Eho Moskvi radio station that unidentified individuals attacked her from behind and hit her several times on the head, causing her to lose consciousness. Her purse, cell phone, money, and laptop were not taken. When she regained consciousness, she asked for an ambulance to be called to the scene. She received medical attention at the hospital. Two of her teeth were knocked out and she suffered injuries to her face and ribs in the attack.

Comoros

Editor-in-chief spends week-end in prison under police pressure to reveal sources

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an abridged translation of a 27 March 2006 RSF alert:

Tanzania

Owner of new newspaper and journalists being sued for libel over stories on real estate deals

(MISA/IFEX) - Tanzanian media owner and prominent businessman Reginald Mengi and several of the journalists working in his media outlets have been slapped with a 100 billion shilling (approx. US$8.6 million) libel suit allegedly for defaming the executive chairperson of the Quality Group Limited, Yusuf Manji.

Peru

Demonstrators assault teams of journalists

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 23 March 2006, Channel 13's programme "Noticias en Red" journalist Gudelia Galvez Tafur and cameraman Moisés Cadillo Sánchez, and Channel 7's programme "Confirmado Regional" journalist Élmer Ramírez Cosme and cameraman Rafael Ángeles Sauri were assaulted by a group of villagers who were demonstrating in the streets of Huaraz, Ancash region, northwestern Peru.

Egypt

National campaign for ending imprisonment for publication offenses commences

(EOHR/IFEX) - The following is a 13 March 2006 EOHR press release:

Iraq / United States

U.S. military pledges to expedite cases of journalists detained in Iraq

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Cambodia

Campaign to decriminalise defamation set back by Supreme Court, justice minister joint statement

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

Iraq

Kurdish-born Austrian cyber-dissident jailed for 18 months for online "defamation"

(RSF/IFEX) - Austrian national of Kurdish origin, Kamal Sayid Qadir, who was arrested five months ago for posting "defamatory" articles about the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Iraq

Un quatrième journaliste enlevé depuis le début de l'année

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières demande la libération immédiate d'Ali Abdullah Fayad, journaliste au trihebdomadaire privé "Al Safir", enlevé par une organisation inconnue, le 21 mars 2006, dans le quartier de Kout au sud-est de Bagdad.

Iraq

A fourth journalist kidnapped since the start of the year

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of Ali Abdullah Fayad, journalist from the privately-owned tri-weekly "al Safir", who was kidnapped by an unknown group in Kut, south-east of Baghdad on 21 March 2006.

Peru

Radio journalist assaulted and her equipment stolen

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the afternoon of 22 March 2006, Radio Programas del Perú journalist Rosario Coronado Sánchez was assaulted by protesters who also stole her mobile phone, personal documents and tape recorder. The event took place in the district of Tumán, Chiclayo province, in the Lambayeque region of northwestern Peru.

Tanzania

Four Kenyan journalists arrested, detained by immigration officers while covering court proceedings

(AFMF/IFEX) - On 24 March 2006, four Kenyan journalists were arrested and detained by Tanzanian immigration officers while covering court proceedings in Moshi town.

Syria

Human rights activist arrested for remarks made at ceremony

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 25 March 2006 Human Rights Watch media release:

Ukraine

CPJ welcomes improvements in press freedom climate, but concerned about slow pace of media reforms, recurrence of press harassment

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 March 2006 CPJ letter to Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko:

Yemen

Journalist abducted and warned to stop writing column; CPJ concerned about worsening press climate

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 March 2006 CPJ letter to the Yemeni President:

Colombia

IAPA asks attorney general to step up investigation into murder of journalist Orlando Sierra

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 24 March 2006 IAPA press release:

Venezuela

Regional newspaper team assaulted while covering demonstration by municipal employees

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 17 March 2006, journalist Marsha Lee González and photographer Trina Marichales, both of the newspaper "El Luchador", were assaulted by alleged supporters of Lenín Figueroa, mayor of the municipality of Heres, state of Bolivar, in southern Venezuela, while they were covering a demonstration by municipal employees.

Belarus

Police arrest journalists, block coverage in rally crackdown

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

Benin

Journalists denied access to press conference

(MFWA/IFEX) - Media organisations in Benin have denounced attempts by security forces to suppress press freedom in Benin following their refusal to allow journalists to cover a press conference on 8 March 2006.

Argentina

On 30th anniversary of coup, a tribute to the 98 journalists missing or killed during the military dictatorship

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

Venezuela

Two journalists released; time to reconsider controversial press laws, says RSF

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has welcomed the recent release of two journalists, even if they are still awaiting trial, and suggested this was the right time to take another look at Venezuela's press laws.

Colombia

Media crew assaulted during student demonstration in Pereira

(FLIP/IFEX) - Journalist Diana Vega and cameraman Jorge Sandoval, both of Canal Caracol television in Pereira, the capital of Risaralda department, were assaulted and threatened by students of Pereira Technical University, during a demonstration on campus.

Peru

Journalist assaulted during presidential candidate's meeting

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 20 March 2006, journalist Andy Ortiz of Canal N television was assaulted when reporting on a meeting of presidential candidate Ollanta Humala and Congress candidates for the Partido Nacionalista Peruano - Unión por el Perú (Peruvian Nationalist Party - Union for Peru) party, in the district of Cercado de Lima.

Mexico

Taumalipas government official threatens webpage editor

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 21 March 2006, the editor-in-chief of the webpage En Línea Directa (http://www.enlineadirecta.info), Arturo Solís, received a telephoned threat from the press officer of the Tamaulipas State Public Prosecutor's Office, Raúl Ramírez.

Ecuador

Army detains journalists, suspends broadcasts by radio station

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 22 March 2006, members of the Ecuadorian army shut down the Inti Pacha community-based radio station in the town of Cayambe, 60 kilometers north of Quito. The move followed the 21 March declaration of a national state of emergency. The soldiers also detained two of the station's journalists, William Ramos and Julio Charro, even though they did not have an official warrant for their arrest. The journalists were released soon afterwards.

Colombia

Senator urges his supporters to boycott regional newspaper

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 17 March 2006, during statements made to two radio stations in Ibagué, Tolima department, recently re-elected Senator Humberto Gómez Gallo encouraged his supporters to "boycott" "El Nuevo Día" newspaper, published in the same city.

Egypt / Tunisia

HRinfo sets up press observatory to monitor Tunisian coverage in Egyptian press

(HRinfo/IFEX) - The following is a 23 March 2006 Hrinfo press release:

Belarus

Belarus PEN vice-president and another journalist imprisoned; detainees reportedly beaten

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN condemns the arrest and subsequent 10 day administrative sentence served against writer Andrej Dynko. He is among hundreds of people arrested in recent days for their participation in peaceful protests against the re-election of President Lukashenko. It calls for Andrej Dynko's immediate and unconditional release, as well as that of other writers and journalists similarly sentenced for their peaceful participation in protests against the election. It also expresses alarm at reports of beatings of protestors and poor prison conditions, and urges the Belarus authorities to ensure that there be no further attacks on demonstrators and that all those currently detained are treated humanely.

Peru

Journalist threatened in Huaraz

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 20 March 2006, Hugo Gonzáles Henostroza, a journalist for the newspaper "Expresión", received a death threat via an anonymous letter sent to his office. In it he is ordered to stop publishing articles about congresswoman Maruja Alfaro or face the consequences. The incident took place in Huaraz, the capital of Ancash region in northwestern Peru.

Peru

Radio journalist receives new death threat

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 18 March 2006, Radio Órbita journalist Rory Huaney Rodríguez was assaulted and threatened with death once more by Jean Carlo León Martínez, son of Amaro León León, the former mayor of the province of Yungay. León León was convicted on 14 December 2005 for the February 2004 murder of journalist Antonio De La Torre.

Sierra Leone

Editor arrested

(MFWA/IFEX) - Sahr Musa Yamba, editor of "Concord Times", an independent newspaper based in Freetown was arrested on 20 March 2006 by plain-clothed policemen and sent to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the police headquarters.

Benin

Editor arrested and released; faces high treason charges for article

(MFWA/IFEX) - Distel Amoussou, managing editor of "Panorama" daily newspaper, was arrested on the afternoon of 16 February 2006 by the intelligence branch of office of the president, for allegedly publishing false information that could destabilize the country.

Ethiopia

Court drops charges against five Voice of America journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Philippines

A year after journalist Marlene Esperat's murder, instigators still not arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - One year after the murder of investigative journalist Marlene Esperat in Tacurong, on the southern island of Mindanao, Reporters Without Borders deplores the fact that, although the suspected perpetrators have been arrested, the instigators are still at large. Esperat wrote about corruption and embezzlement for the weekly "Midland Review", and she had accused the local department of irregular fertilizer purchases shortly before she was gunned down in front of her daughter and two sons on 24 March 2005.

Indonesia

Seven journalists assaulted by police and students in Papua

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for a meeting of police officials in Papua province following an assault by policemen and students on seven journalists on 16 March 2006.

Algeria

Draconian decree "amounts to censorship," says CPJ; appeals court upholds Hakim Laalam's prison sentence

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 March 2006 CPJ letter to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika:

Zimbabwe

Government's media commission to allow journalists to regulate their own profession

(MISA/IFEX) - Dr Tafataona Mahoso, the chairperson of the government-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) and vociferous critic of independent media councils has, in a major about-face, conceded to self-regulation by journalists.

Iraq

Kurdish journalist detained, assaulted, faces prosecution for article criticising regional political parties

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

Nigeria

Beatings, threats, arrests, unfair dismissal, censorship - journalists see no improvement

(RSF/IFEX) - Conditions for Nigerian journalists are as trying as ever despite the military regime's fall in 1999, Reporters Without Borders has said, revealing that in the past 30 days it has registered three physical attacks on journalists, one arbitrary arrest, one case of intimidation, one unfair dismissal and one censorship order.

Botswana

Government purchase of advertising space in media will not be regulated, assures minister

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

Botswana

MISA calls for expeditious licensing of three new national commercial radio stations, community stations

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

China

Blogger and documentary filmmaker held for the past month

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has written to President Hu Jintao asking him to intervene on behalf of documentary filmmaker Hao Wu, who was arrested in Beijing on 22 February 2006, after attending a meeting of members of a protestant church not recognised by the government, as part of the preparation of his next documentary.

Brazil

Local and regional media subjected to more violence and threats than national media

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the disparity in the level of press freedom experienced by Brazil's national media and the media in the provinces, which have been subjected to an unacceptable degree of violence as well as harassment and abuse of power by local officials in the first three months of 2006.

Japan

High Court decision protects journalists' right to keep sources confidential

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

Iraq / United States

CBS cameraman faces trial in Iraq

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 March 2006 CPJ press release:

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Journalists from the Americas face serious obstacles to the free exercise of the profession, concludes IAPA

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 21 March 2006 IAPA press release:

Iraq

Eighty-six journalists and media assistants killed and 38 kidnapped during three years of war: RSF report

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 20 March 2006 RSF press release:

Venezuela

Journalist under house arrest for defamation

(IPYS/IFEX) - Ibeyise Pacheco, journalist and columnist for the newspaper "El Nacional", has been under house arrest since 15 March 2006 after the 11th Tribunal denied her plea for a suspended sentence. She was sentenced, in May 2004, to nine months in prison for defaming Colonel Angel Bellorin. The journalist was denied probation because a new criminal complaint has been filed against her.

Venezuela

Journalist faces defamation charges

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 13 March 2006, the 45th Tribunal, presided by Judge Marilda Ruiz, allowed a slander case to go ahead against "El Nacional" journalist and columnist Marianella Salazar. Salazar is accused of slander for having stated, when summoned by the Prosecutor's Office, that there should be an investigation into Vice-President José Vicente Rangel for allegedly directing a campaign to discredit her.

Belarus

Czech reporter beaten, three Belarusians detained in election aftermath

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Colombia

Journalist dies of injuries from February murder attempt in Montería

(FLIP/IFEX) - After a lengthy struggle to survive injuries inflicted during a 4 February 2006 attempt on his life in Montería, capital of Córdoba department, journalist Gustavo Rojas Gabalo died on 20 March at the Salucoop clinic in Medellín, capital of the neighbouring department of Antioquia.

Jordan

CAPSULE REPORT: AAI report on media in Jordan for 2005

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

Tunisia

WPFC welcomes release of detainees, condemns on-going imprisonment, attacks on freedom of expression and assembly

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 20 March 2006 WPFC letter to the Tunisian ambassador to the U.S.:

Bangladesh

CAPSULE REPORT: IFJ concerned about violations of media freedom, violence and harassment of journalists

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

Ecuador

Ecuador signs press freedom declaration

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 15 March 2006 IAPA press release:

Belarus

Press attacks continue on election weekend and beyond

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Jordan

Committee rejects provision in draft law prohibiting imprisonment of journalists

(AAI/IFEX) - On 13 March 2006, the Lower House National Guidance Committee (NGC) rejected a provision in the amended draft Press and Publications Law. The rejected provision would have prohibited the imprisonment of journalists charged with violating several provisions of the law.

Turkmenistan

Authorities release two Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists

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

China

Un journaliste condamné à dix ans de prison pour un pamphlet publié sur Internet

(RSF/IFEX) - Ren Zhiyuan, 27 ans, a été condamné, le 17 mars 2006, à dix ans de prison pour avoir publié sur Internet des articles virulents contre le régime chinois, notamment un pamphlet intitulé "La voie vers la démocratie".

China

Journalist sentenced to ten years in prison for online anti-government articles

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders condemned a ten-year prison sentence handed down to Ren Zhiyuan, 27, for posting virulent anti-government articles online, including a pamphlet entitled, "The Path to Democracy".

Kenya

Minister queried by parliamentary committee over government role in raids on Standard Group media outlets

(AFMF/IFEX) - On 18 March 2006, the Parliamentary Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs (CAJLA) questioned Kenya's Internal Security Minister John Michuki over the 1 March police raids on media outlets owned by the Standard Group, during which copies of the country's second largest-selling newspaper, "The Standard", were set on fire and the television station, Kenya Television Network (KTN), taken off the air.

Tunisia

Harassment of journalist's family continues

(OLPEC/IFEX) - The following is an abridged translation of a 15 March 2006 statement by the Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie (CNLT), of which OLPEC is a member:

Guinea

Journalist detained, questioned, insulted by police

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 11 March 2006, Almany Kalla Conté, a reporter of the "Lynx - La Lance" press group, was detained and questioned for several hours by the police at Kaloum, the administrative area of Conakry, Guinea's capital.

Nigeria

Broadcast journalist arrested and detained overnight

(MRA/IFEX) - On 14 March 2006, Segun Owolabi, a senior news officer with Rhythm 93 FM radio in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital in the Niger Delta region, was arrested by officers of the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria's intelligence service, and detained overnight before being released on the afternoon of 15 March.

Iran

Journalist Akbar Ganji released

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has hailed the release of Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji from Evin prison, north of the capital, where he had been held since April 2000.

Morocco

CPJ calls on King to probe government-organized protests against magazine

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Belarus

Newspaper run seized, two Polish journalists barred entry, TV operator pressured to drop Russian broadcaster in on-going pre-election media crackdown

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Honduras

"Transparency Law" bill suffers major setback with National Party's introduction of new, pro-censorship "transparency" bill

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - The "Transparency Law" bill, aimed at guaranteeing access to public information, suffered a major setback only 24 hours prior to its expected introduction into the legislature for debate and approval, when a sector of the National Party (Partido Nacional, PN) introduced a new "transparency" bill on the night of 14 March 2006. PROBIDAD believes the new bill favours direct press censorship and limits the right to information and freedom of expression.

Iraq

Murder top cause of journalist deaths in Iraq, CPJ finds; local journalists increasingly targeted

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe

Draft bill seeks to allow government monitoring of telephone, e-mail, postal communications

(MISA/IFEX) - The Zimbabwean government has drafted a bill that would permit the surveillance of telephone and e-mail communications while making it compulsory for service providers to install the enabling equipment on behalf of the state.

Zimbabwe

ANZ licensing decision falls to minister, following judge's ruling that media commission chairman is biased

(MISA/IFEX) - The Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe's (ANZ) legal battle to be granted an operating licence has taken a new twist, with the Minister of Information Dr. Tichaona Jokonya now expected to decide the publishing company's fate.

Nepal

Journalist Bhawana Prasain freed after being held for 35 days and tortured

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has hailed the 15 March 2006 release of journalist Bhawana Prasain of the monthly "Majdur Aawaj", who had been held since 9 February after taking part in a demonstration in Kathmandu in protest against King Gyanendra's regime.

South Africa

FXI welcomes acquittal of two Soweto activists on a charge of "illegal gathering"

(FXI/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 FXI statement:

Venezuela

Governor accuses regional newspaper of "media-based terrorism", threatens investigation

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 6 March 2006 the regional newspaper "Correo del Caroní" was accused of practicing "media-based terrorism" by the Bolívar State Governor Francisco Rangel Gómez, after the paper published an account of the death of 19 people during the carnival festivities in the region, news of a community's protests regarding work done by the regional government, and a report on the state of disrepair of the Puente de Angostura, one of the state's principal bridges. The accusation against the paper was broadcast through Rangel's own radio program, which is transmitted by several of Bolivar's radio stations in southern Venezuela.

Zambia

Community radio station director, two students questioned by police over controversial broadcast

(MISA/IFEX) - On 14 March 2006, Chikuni community radio station Director Fr. Andrew Lesniara and two students were questioned by police in Monze in connection with the charge of "publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public," brought against station staffers Matongo Maumbi and Jyde Hamoonga on 11 March 2006.

Zambia

Media organizations commend government for withdrawing value-added tax on newspapers and magazines

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 MISA statement:

Ecuador

State of emergency declared in three provinces; military detains journalists, media workers, seizes their recordings and photos

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 10 March 2006, the head of the Army's IV Division, General Gonzalo Meza, ordered the detention of all journalists, camera operators and photographers who were covering an assembly of government officials and citizens of the province of Orellana, in eastern Ecuador. The order was issued under the state of emergency decreed in three provinces of the Amazonian region of the country on 7 March by President Alfredo Palacio, after employees of the state company Petroecuador started protests demanding better working conditions. The general also ordered the confiscation of all journalistic material of the events, be it tapes or photographs.

South Africa

Court prohibits individual from publishing criticism of health campaign; MISA concerned over "judicial censorship"

(MISA/IFEX) - The Media Institute of Southern Africa - South Africa (MISA-SA) is alarmed at the judiciary's continuing imposition of restrictions on the publication of information, actions which constitute unacceptable judicial censorship.

Guatemala

Several community radio stations closed, one station director jailed for 6 days

SOURCE: Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA), Guatemala City

Pakistan

Two Afghan TV channels banned in Pakistan

(PPF/IFEX) - On 16 March 2006, broadcasting regulatory authorities in Pakistan barred local cable operators from airing two Afghan TV channels because these stations had blamed Pakistani intelligence for a 12 March suicide attack on a senior Afghan political figure in Kabul. Islamabad has rejected allegations of involvement.

Canada

CJFE concerned about dismissal of editors, editorial independence at the Canadian Medical Association Journal

(CJFE/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 CJFE media release:

China

Charges dropped against journalist Zhao Yan of "The New York Times"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders welcomed news that charges have been dropped against journalist and contributor to US daily "New York Times", Zhao Yan, laureate of the press freedom organisation's 2005 prize, and that he will be freed within days.

Cuba

CPJ concerned about health of two journalists on hunger strike

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Colombia

In meeting with CPJ, President Uribe pledges support for provincial journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Indonesia

"Tempo" newspaper reporter injured while filming demonstrations; restrictions on journalists' access to all regions should be removed, says Human Rights Watch

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

Serbia / Montenegro

B92 television crew assaulted: "culmination of threats" since station broke news of Milosevic's death

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 ANEM statement:

Uzbekistan

Government invokes restrictive new regulations to reprimand three Deutsche Welle correspondents

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Belarus

Arrests, jailings mark pre-election press crackdown

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Canada

PEN Canada urges Toronto school board to reconsider decision regarding "Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak"

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

Tunisia

Human Rights Watch calls for release of website moderator imprisoned a year ago for reposting terror threat

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

Palestine

Kidnappers free foreign journalists in Gaza

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Venezuela

RSF calls for dialogue with government in letter to new communication and information minister

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 13 March 2006 RSF letter to the communication and information minister:

Thailand

SEAPA cheers landmark ruling in media advocate's case

(SEAPA/IFEX) - A Thai court has found media advocate Supinya Klangnarong and the newspaper "Thai Post" not guilty of criminal defamation, handing down what is being hailed as a landmark ruling that should strengthen freedom of expression and of the press in Thailand.

Nepal

Journalists barred from covering meeting; others pressured by Armed Police Force

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

Saudi Arabia

RSF and HRinfo appeal to King Abdullah about his government's Internet policies

(RSF/HRinfo/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information have written to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz asking him to intervene on behalf of Mohsen al-Awajy, who was arrested on 10 March 2006 for criticising the Saudi authorities, especially labour minister Ghazy al-Kosseiby, on the Wasatyah.com website.

Greece

Two legal cases highlight on-going intimidation of the press; Rumi scholar acquitted of defamation charges

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

Ethiopia

CAPSULE REPORT: Political divide ensnares the press; arrests, closings, censorship found by CPJ delegation

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Vietnam

Police seize fourth Internet user discussing democracy on Paltalk.com

(RSF/IFEX) - Police raided a cybercafé and arrested an Internet user on 11 March 2006, while he was taking part in a discussion forum on democracy hosted by the Pal Talk (http://paltalk.com) website.

Thailand

Court clears media activist Supinya Klangnarong and four journalists of defamation charges

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for murder of Al-Iraqiya programming head Amjad Hameed

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 13 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Belarus

Son of slain journalist Veronika Cherkasova released on bail

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Philippines

Court dismisses case against suspect in journalist's murder

(CMFR/IFEX) - In an unfortunate turn of events, a local court recently dismissed the murder charge filed against the alleged individual behind the 17 June 2004 killing of journalist Elpidio Binoya in General Santos City, located about 700 kilometers south of Manila.

Guatemala

Police harass, threaten photographer

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 1 March 2006, National Civil Police (Policía Nacional Civil) officers and a private security guard harassed Guatemala City newspaper "Siglo XXI" photographer Axel Bonilla, while he was taking pictures of the progress in the construction of parking lots for the city's international airport.

Peru

Mayor and municipal workers assault journalists in Huarí province, Ancash region

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 8 March 2006, journalists Manuel Caballero Vidal, host and reporter for channel 13 program "Primera Edición", Elmer Maguiña Cosme, reporter for the newspaper "Prensa Regional", and Alex Mautino Vidaurre, reporter for Radio Melodía, were attacked by Justino Montes Colca, the mayor of the district of Chavín de Huantar, when they asked him to comment on an accusation made by several citizens that he stole an electricity generator belonging to the town. The event took place in the province of Huari, Ancash region, northwestern Peru.

China

CPJ condemns latest attempt to charge imprisoned Internet journalist Li Jianping

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

Kenya

Standard Group cameraman harassed by police

(AFMF/IFEX) - On 14 March 2006, Kenya Television Network (KTN) cameraman Eustace Kathurima was the latest victim of the on-going police harassment of Standard Group journalists.

Peru

Journalist stabbed by unknown attackers

(IPYS/IFEX) - At midday (local time) on 10 March 2006, three unidentified men attacked and stabbed journalist John Collantes Huamán as he arrived to the premises of Radio Horizonte, his workplace, in Cusco, southern Peru.

Palestine

RSF calls for the release of three journalists kidnapped in Gaza City

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about the kidnapping of two French journalists, Caroline Laurent of "Elle" and Alfred Yaghobzadeh of "Sipa", and South Korean journalist Yong Tae-young of KBS on 14 March in Gaza City, hours after an Israeli army raid on a prison in the West Bank city of Jericho.

Tunisia

Imprisoned human rights defender Mohamed Abbou on hunger strike

(OLPEC/IFEX) - The following is an abridged translation of a statement by the CNLT, of which OLPEC is a member:

Kazakhstan

Two newspapers, journalist and opposition politician fined in two separate cases for "moral damages" to Canadian businessman

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 10 March 2006, the Medeu District Court in Almaty fined local businessman and opposition politician Bulat Abilov and the Duniye company, which owns "Svoboda Slova" newspaper, 1 million tenge (approx. US$7,800) and 50,000 tenge (approx. US$400), respectively, for "moral damages" in a lawsuit launched by Canadian businessman Adonis Derbas.

Mongolia

Journalist investigated for criminal defamation and libel

(Globe International/IFEX) - G. Dashrentsen, political commentator for the national newspaper "Udriin Sonin" ("Daily News") has been under investigation for criminal defamation and libel by the Mongolian Police Enquiry Department since 28 January 2006, following a complaint made by Buddhist Lama Purevbat.

Australia

New laws threaten media diversity, says IFJ

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

Belarus

Journalist, cameraman arrested during broadcast, others stopped at border; IPI concerned about pre-election media crackdown

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

Uzbekistan

New government decree threatens freedom of the press

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a joint statement by Adil Soz and The International In-Service Training Center for Journalists:

Palestine

Journalists, others kidnapped as prison siege sparks violence

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is 14 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Cameroon

Criminal defamation charges wrong response to "secret homosexual" lists, says CPJ

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 March 2006 CPJ letter to the Cameroonian president:

Uganda

Police close radio station for critical talk show

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

Iraq / United States

Court absolves US military of criminal responsibility in journalists' deaths; IFJ concerned over "culture of impunity"

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

Belarus

Three newspapers prevented from printing as elections approach; a fourth closed for printing prophet cartoons

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

Syria

Human rights activist arrested upon return from international conference

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

Philippines

Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism fights to stave off search warrant

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 13 March 2006, a Quezon City judge apparently denied a request by the politically-connected sound engineer Jonathan Tiongco for a warrant to search the offices of The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), a founding member of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA).

Philippines

Press restrictions continue despite "lifting" of state of emergency; media, journalists petition court to restrain government

(CMFR/IFEX) - In an attempt to hold back the Arroyo Administration's recent efforts to suppress press freedom in the country, different media organizations and journalists recently joined forces to file a petition in the Court of Appeals (CA) to prohibit "executive-branch officials from censoring the media."

Iraq

Editor Muhsin Khudhair gunned down in Baghdad

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

Swaziland

Newspaper charged with contempt of Parliament, faces fine

(MISA/IFEX) - On 9 March 2006, "The Times of Swaziland" newspaper was charged with contempt of Parliament, following an article published by the newspaper on 8 March, criticising Members of Parliament (MPs) for their alleged interference in the administration of the state radio, the Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services (SBIS).

Colombia

Photojournalist assaulted by Cúcuta's transportation secretary, his photos destroyed

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 8 March 2006, "La Opinión" newspaper photojournalist Carlos Humberto Patiño was attacked by the transportation secretary for the city of Cúcuta, Cesar Rojas Ayala, and by other participants at what was apparently a political meeting.

Uganda

Government crackdown against local and foreign media continues after elections

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 13 March 2006 Human Rights Watch capsule report:

Moldova

Chisinau mayor's comments on limiting press freedom raise concern among media organisations

(IJC/IFEX) - The following is a 10 March 2006 joint statement by the IJC and other organisations:

Lebanon

No progress in solving murder three months after death of journalist Gebran Tueni

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has joined the family of murdered Lebanese journalist Gebran Tueni in calling for pressure to be stepped up for an effective investigation into his death in a car-bombing in December 2005.

Colombia

Three Barrancabermeja-based media workers subject to threats, sister of one temporarily abducted

(FLIP/IFEX) - Three new instances of violation of freedom of the press occurred in Barrancabermeja during the second week of March 2006. Two journalists and a newspaper lay-out artist join the list of those recently subjected to such violations in Santander Department.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Visiting team looks at Ngyke murder, press offences and journalistic corruption

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 10 March 2006 RSF press release:

Kenya / Uganda

Canadian journalist denied entry into Kenya following deportation from Uganda

(AFMF/IFEX) - A Canadian journalist who was on 9 March 2006 deported by Ugandan authorities after his journalistic work and presence in the country was described as "a threat to security", got a rude shock on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi after Immigration officials denied him entry into the country.

Egypt

Journalist sentenced to a year in prison

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

Al-Iraqiya's director murdered, two arrests made

(RSF/IFEX) - Two people have been arrested in Abu Ghraib, 20 km west of Baghdad, for the 11 March 2006 murder of Al-Iraqiya television station director Amjad Hameed Hassan and his driver Anwar Turki. The arrests follow the appearance of a message from the Mujahideen Consultative Council (MCC) on its website, claiming responsibility for the killings. Its authenticity could not be confirmed.

Nepal

CEHURDES condemns government threats to Nepali media

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES, condemns the government of Nepal's latest threat to Nepali media regarding their coverage of news related to the Maoist insurgency.

Colombia

Newspaper director in Pereira threatened, over 15,000 copies of publication seized

(FLIP/IFEX) - After threatening to kill the director of tourist newspaper "Primera Plana" and mistreating its watchman, a group of over 20 men stole between 15,000 and 18,000 copies of the newspaper on 8 March 2006. The incident occurred in Pereira, the capital of the Risaralda department in the central-west region of the country.

El Salvador

Journalist assaulted by political party supporters

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - On 9 March 2006, "Co Latino" newspaper journalist Rosa Elvia Campos was assaulted in the town of Mejicanos by a supporter of the Revolutionary Democratic Front (Frente Democrático Revolucionario, FDR) political party, who hit her with a blunt object wounding her on her left brow.

Pakistan

Journalist's home broken into, computer and documents stolen, following threat

(PPF/IFEX) - On 12 March 2006, unknown persons broke into the house of Rasheed Channa, reporter for "The Daily Star", in Karachi. They took away his computer, data CDs, some personal files, various documents, and some valuables, including Rs 4,000 (approx. US$66) in cash.

Mexico

Journalist murdered in Tamaulipas, the second to be killed in Mexico in the space of 24 hours

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged at the murders of Jaime Arturo Olvera Bravo, a freelance photographer and former correspondent for the daily "La Voz de Michoacán", killed on 9 March 2006 in La Piedad in the central state of Michoacán, and Ramiro Téllez Contreras, a local radio reporter and police station switchboard operator, killed on 10 March in Nuevo Laredo in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.

East Timor

IPI seeks fresh investigation into 1975 and 1999 cases of killed journalists

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 10 March 2006 IPI letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan:

Swaziland

Newspaper ordered to pay crippling fines in defamation lawsuit

(MISA/IFEX) - "The Times of Swaziland" newspaper has been ordered by the High Court of Swaziland to pay a gospel artist Emalangeni (E) 120, 000 approx. US$ 19, 350 in fines for defamation.

Zambia

Community radio staffers arrested, charged with "publication of false news"

(MISA/IFEX) - On 11 March 2006, two journalists working for Chikuni community radio station, a Catholic-owned radio station in Monze district, in the southern province, were arrested and charged with "publication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public", contrary to Section 67 of the Penal code.

Venezuela

Bomb attack and threats against newspaper

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Ethiopia

Editor sentenced to prison; reporter freed on bail

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Honduras

Journalist harassed at gunpoint, threatened with lawsuit, for reporting on fuel contraband

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Rural journalist Januario Vásquez, a correspondent in Ocotepeque, a town in western Honduras, for Radio Globo and the television news programme "Abriendo Brecha", both of which cover events across the country and broadcast from the capital, Tegucigalpa, has been the target of intimidation for having reported on contraband sales of fuel in which he alleges a local justice of the peace is involved.

Peru

Journalists, newspaper threatened with violence over report on corruption

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 1 March 2006, the editor of the daily "Expresión", María Maguiña Calderón, and Luis Arias Lazarte, head of the investigations unit, received telephone threats due to a report published in February about irregular collections for burial benefits and incentives which benefited several union officials in the city of Huaraz, Ancash region, northwestern Peru.

Ethiopia

Prime minister pledges fair trials for jailed journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 9 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Mexico

Photographer gunned down outside his home

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

Peru

Businessman implicated in drug trafficking case threatens journalist

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 1 March 2006, businessman Jorge Castillo Segura, who is implicated in a drug trafficking case, threatened journalist Marco Villanueva Escobar, a reporter for the newspaper "Diario de Chimbote", by making a beheading gesture with his hand. The incident occurred (after Castillo made a statement to the police in Chimbote, northwestern Peru, following the discovery of 10 tons of cocaine in a ship belonging to his fishing business.

Mongolia

Journalists harassed, threatened for not revealing their sources; Globe International calls for the legal protection of their professional rights

(Globe International/IFEX) - Mongolian government officials have been censoring media and demanding journalists to reveal their source of information, says Globe International. Since January 2006, there have been more than 10 press cases involving censorship or demands upon journalists to reveal a source.

Democratic Republic of Congo

CPJ urges Kabila to scrap criminal sanctions for critical reporting

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 March 2006 CPJ letter to President Joseph Kabila:

Egypt

Journalist sentenced to one year in prison after summary trial for defamation

(EOHR/IFEX) - The following is a 7 March 2006 EOHR press release:

Guatemala

Office of community radio organizations raided, material seized by officials

(AMARC/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 9 March 2006 AMARC statement:

Turkmenistan

IFJ calls for detained journalists' immediate release

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

Burma

U Win Tin, denied Red Cross visits, to spend 76th birthday in jail

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association called for the unconditional release of Burma's best-known journalist, U Win Tin, as he prepared to spend his 76th birthday on 12 March 2006 in his special cell in Rangoon's notorious Insein prison.

Dominican Republic

Crime reporter abducted, threatened with death; escapes with minor injuries

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a March 9 2006 CPJ press release:

Georgia

Filmmakers sentenced to prison for espionage

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 9 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

TV presenter murdered, station attacked and threatened for its reporting

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

Iran

Foreign journalists detained, equipment and footage seized while covering violent attack on Women's Day gathering

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

India

Editor of magazine released

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders notes the release on bail, on 2 March 2006, of Alok Tomar, editor of the Hindi-language magazine "Shabdarth". He had to pay 50,000 rupees (943 euros) under the guarantee of a co-signer. He was arrested on 23 February after publishing one of the Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.

Uganda

Canadian freelance journalist prevented from returning

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

Yemen

CAPSULE REPORT: Press climate deteriorating, characterized by "attacks, censorship and dirty tricks", warns CPJ report

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

Nepal

Government cuts power to FM radio station as the army launches six propaganda stations

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders slated an "appalling attempt to militarise the media landscape" as the army began test broadcasts on six FM stations to "counter Maoist propaganda" while police cut off the power at an independent FM radio station.

Philippines

Journalists no longer allowed to video-tape San Pablo city council meetings

(CMFR/IFEX) - In a move echoing the national government's suppression of the media, the city council barred video-taping of its meetings and sessions in San Pablo, Laguna, located around 75 kilometers south of Manila.

United States

US calls alleged Al-Jazeera bombing threat "unfounded" and "preposterous"

(IPA/IFEX) - The following is an 8 March 2006 IPA press release:

Tunisia

Editor's family harassed after publishing articles critical of the government

(OLPEC/IFEX) - In the days following the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Naziha Rejiba, editor-in-chief of "Kalima" and vice president of OLPEC, received warnings from a source close to the government, informing her that the authorities were displeased over certain articles which she had written that criticized the excesses of the those in power and the mounting corruption in politically elite circles. She was informed that reprisals against her and her family were being prepared; this was reported in an OLPEC statement released on 5 December 2005.

Zimbabwe

Three journalists forced to leave "The Daily Mirror"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned a purge being carried out by the government within "The Daily Mirror" newspaper in which three journalists have been fired or forced to resign by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

Mexico

On International Women's Day, WiPC calls for release of imprisoned writer Lydia Cacho

(WiPC/IFEX) - The following is WiPC's International Women's Day statement:

Kenya

Standard Group takes government to court over raid on its offices and printing press

(AFMF/IFEX) - The Standard Group is taking the government to court to seek damages over the attacks on its offices and printing press by hooded police officers on 1 March 2006.

Guatemala

Indigenous and community radio stations denounce persecution, urge government to fulfill its promises

(AMARC/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 1 March 2006 statement by the Guatemalan Council on Community Communications (CGCC), of which AMARC is a member:

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Two women journalists held hostage, six others imprisoned worldwide, says RSF

(RSF/IFEX) - On International Women's Day, 8 March 2006, RSF calls for the release of Jill Carroll and Rim Zeid, held hostage in Iraq, and for six other women journalists who are imprisoned in Cuba, Ethiopia, Iran, Maldives, Nepal and Rwanda.

Kazakhstan

Court closes down opposition newspaper "Juma Times"

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 6 March 2006, following a prosecutor's lawsuit, the Specialized Economic Inter-district Court of Almaty delivered a ruling, ordering the closure of the Zhumash-Kokberi company, owners of "Juma Times" newspaper, and the subsequent cancellation of that newspaper's registration. The company was convicted on charges, under article 100 of the Election Campaigning Rules, of publishing falsehoods about President Nazarbayev in an attempt to affect the outcome of the presidential elections.

Pakistan

Still more restrictions for journalists in the tribal zones

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders condemns the brief arrest by security forces in the tribal zone of North Waziristan of three journalists who were trying to cover clashes between the Pakistani security forces and the Taliban around Miran Shah.

Paraguay

Journalists' union concerned about lack of action on disappearance of colleague

(SPP/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 5 March 2006 SPP press release:

India

Television staff violently attacked; journalists protest incident en masse

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

Uganda

Police harass journalists over political talk show

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Turkey

WiPC meeting tackles key freedom of expression issues

(WiPC/IFEX) - The following is a 4 March 2006 WiPC press release:

International

WAN announces creation of Gebran Tueni award in honour of slain publisher

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a 6 March 2006 WAN press release:

Zambia

Media organisations call for withdrawal of proposed VAT on newspapers and magazines

(MISA/IFEX) - The Government of Zambia has passed an amendment to the VAT Act, adjusting the standard rate applicable to the supply of newspapers and magazines resulting in revenue gains of K5.2 billion.

Venezuela

Journalist arrested at television station

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Syria

Journalist Chaaban Abboud released on bail after being held for five days

(RSF/IFEX) - Chaaban Abboud, correspondent for Lebanese daily "An-Nahar" and the Kuwait daily "Al Ra'i al Aam", has been released on bail. The journalist was arrested on 2 March 2006 under a 1963 state of emergency law and charged by a Damascus military court with "publishing mendacious reports harmful to national security".

Uzbekistan

Tojibaeva sentenced to 8 years in prison, Umarov to 14; Freedom House ordered to close

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

Pakistan

Twelve websites blocked for posting cartoons

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is concerned about the decision of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to block access to twelve websites that posted the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, which appeared in the Danish daily "Jyllands-Posten".

Nepal

IFJ calls for release of imprisoned journalists, condemns Army's plan to operate FM radio stations

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 March 2006 IFJ media release:

Philippines

Journalists' union website, critical of media clampdown, allegedly hacked

(CMFR/IFEX) - The website of a popular national journalists' union, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), which has been actively publishing statements against the recent government's crackdown on media, was allegedly hacked by unknown parties during the first week of March 2006, resulting in its temporary shutdown.

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Arab governments attack websites

(HRinfo/IFEX) - The following is a 5 March 2006 HRinfo statement:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Newspaper publisher detained in Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - On 6 March 2006, Jean-Pierre Pambu Lutete, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "La Tolérance", was transferred to Kinshasa's Penitentiary and Reeducation Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, CPRK, formerly Makala Central Prison).

Belarus

Police seize opposition newspaper's election edition

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

Kazakhstan

Journalist briefly detained by border guards

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 28 February 2006, Mekhribon Betiyeva, a reporter for Radio Liberty, Kazakhstan, was detained by Kazakh border guards near the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border, after having interviewed local residents.

Peru

Police officers harass radio journalists

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 24 February 2006, a group of police officers unexpectedly entered the premises of Amistad radio station, and under the orders of a Captain Mendoza asked sound operator Edwin Revilla, the only person at the station at that time, for detailed information about the journalists who work there and those responsible for the transmissions, as well as details about the radio station's operations and licences. The incident, which took place in Aucayacu, Huánuco region, central Peru, was reported by journalist Vladimir Angulo. The police's visit was surprising as this type of procedure normally falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry for Transport and Communications (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones, MTC).

Tunisia

Police prohibit gathering of support for Mohamed Abbou in front of El Kef prison

(OLPEC/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 2 March 2006 statement by the Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie (CNLT), an OLPEC partner:

Colombia

Manager and director of local newspaper in Chía receive death threat

(FLIP/IFEX) - The manager of the local monthly "El periódico de Chía" ("The Chía Newspaper"), Carlos Arango Duque, informed FLIP that he received a death threat on 12 February 2006. "If you keep speaking ill of the mayor, we will fill your mouth with flies", threatened the unknown caller, who phoned Duque at his home, where the offices of the newspaper are also located.

Azerbaijan

Opposition journalist suffers brutal murder attempt

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF expressed "outrage" following a savage attack on opposition journalist Fikret Huseynli, of the daily "Azadlig", who was kidnapped, tortured and left for dead in Baku on 5 March 2006.

Philippines

Radio anchorman abducted

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

Mexico

Journalist Isabel Arvide convicted on defamation charges

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Bangladesh

Journalist survives murder attempt; 11 others beaten

(RSF/IFEX) - A journalist survived a murder attempt on 1 March 2006 when his university bedroom was torched in Savarnear, central Bangladesh. Two days later, 11 journalists were beaten at a press conference by members of the ruling party's youth movement, in Sharishabari in the northwest.

Philippines

President Arroyo lifts state of emergency; "The Daily Tribune" publisher and two columnists face charges of inciting sedition

(CMFR/IFEX) - An editor-publisher and two of her newspaper's columnists were charged with allegedly inciting sedition, just moments after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lifted the state of national emergency or Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP1017) on the morning of 3 March 2006.

Libya

Journalist al-Mansuri among 132 political prisoners freed; Fathi al-Jahmi remains jailed

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 2 March 2006 Human Rights Watch press release:

Kenya

"Standard" journalists charged, released on bail; raided television station resumes broadcasting, staff released without charges

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 March 2006 CPJ letter to Kenya's president:

Algeria

CAPSULE REPORT: Journalist sentenced to six months in prison, another released; RSF urges European Parliament to take diplomatic steps to press for free expression

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 2 March 2006 RSF letter to European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles:

Vietnam

Government harasses Internet writers

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

Bangladesh

Editor awaiting sedition trial receives death threat, health deteriorates

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

Venezuela

Journalist receives threat after reporting on irregularities in taxations office

(IPYS/IFEX) - Since 4 January 2006, "El Luchador" newspaper journalist Marsha Lee González has been the victim of threats made by officials and ex-employees of the country's National Customs and Tax Administration Office (Servicio Nacional Integral de Administración Aduanera y Tributaria, SENIAT). The journalist had reported on irregularities in the workings of this office in the state of Bolívar, southern Venezuela, which are linked to the mistreatment of an employee and unprofessional conduct by the now dismissed regional manager, Félix Molina.

Peru

Radio journalist assaulted

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the night of 13 February 2006, Radio Javes journalist Raúl Antonio Ipushima was assaulted by several members of a family who entered the premises of the station after the journalist had just completed his program "Hablando con el pueblo" ("Talking to the people"). The incident occurred in the province of Requena, Loreto region, northeastern Peru.

China

Foreign journalists blocked from reporting on world's biggest electronic waste site

(RSF/IFEX) - Two foreign television crews have had footage seized by henchmen of the owners of a huge electronic waste recycling centre in Guiyu (Guangdong province, southern China) over the past two weeks.

Nepal

Journalist detained for 21 days, two others arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) protested at the treatment of female journalist Bhawana Prasain, of the monthly "Majdur Aawaj", who has been detained since 9 February 2006 and said she was beaten by police trying to force her to confess to holding membership in the country's Maoist party.

Romania

Secrecy charge against journalists "unacceptable intimidation" says IFJ/EFJ

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 March 2006 IFJ media release:

Iraq

RSF calls for release of imprisoned cyber-dissident Kamal Sayid Qadir, subject to torture and death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged the UN in Iraq and the Austrian president to intervene on behalf of cyberdissident Kamal Sayid Qadir.

Lebanon

Newspaper, editor and reporter face criminal charges of defaming president

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Peru

Television journalist and camera operator assaulted by municipal official

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 28 February 2006, journalist Felipe Tipián and cameraman Levis Cárdenas, of the Tarapoto operations of Red Global television station program "Enfoques", in the San Martín region, northern Peru, were assaulted by Tarapoto municipal administrator Carlo Magno Pasquel, while they were covering a march by a group of citizens. The official turned his motorbike towards them, rode it up onto the sidewalk and charged at both reporters, hitting the cameraman on the leg.

Cuba

Two journalists face re-imprisonment; a third sentenced to "correctional work"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it feared that court summonses issued to independent journalists Oscar Espinosa Chepe and Jorge Olivera Castillo mean they will be sent back to jail.

Belarus

IFJ condemns attacks on journalists in election fracas

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following a 2 March 2006 IFJ media release:

Belarus

Police beat journalists covering police assault of opposition candidate

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 March 2006 CPJ press release:

Singapore

Courts punish politician for decrying "unfair" judicial system

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On top of his financial bankruptcy and conviction for defamation, Singapore opposition leader Chee Soon Juan is now being charged with contempt of court for criticizing the country's judicial system as unfair and biased.

Azerbaijan

Editor imprisoned for criminal libel, insult

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

Kenya

Printing press raided, damaged; newspapers seized, burned; television station shut down; FM radio stations' operations impeded

(AFMF/IFEX) - In a draconian move unprecedented in the history of the media in independent Kenya, authorities have arrested three journalists working for the second largest selling daily, "The Standard", seized and burnt copies of the 2 March 2006 issue, disabled the newspaper's printing press, confiscated equipment including computers and shut down a broadcasting station, Kenya Television Network (KTN). Two other journalists face threat of arrest by police.

Egypt

EOHR calls for an end to imprisonment as penalty for defamation, insult crimes

(EOHR/IFEX) - The following is a 1 March 2006 EOHR statement:

Kazakhstan

Editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper sentenced to "administrative detention"

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 2 March 2006, Gulzhan Yergaliyeva, editor-in-chief of "Svoboda Slova" newspaper, was sentenced to five days of "administrative detention" for holding an unsanctioned demonstration on 26 February. Yergaliyeva has started a hunger strike to protest the ruling.

Uzbekistan

Reporter freed after serving six-month sentence for "insulting" security officer

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 February 2006 CPJ press release:

China / International

"The Epoch Times" Hong Kong office ransacked, staff persecuted internationally by Chinese authorities, says IFJ

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

Russia

Computer, phone taken, bloody print left in Moscow slaying

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Tunisia

OLPEC expresses concern over escalation of censorship

(OLPEC/IFEX) - The following is an 18 February 2006 statement by the Observatory for Freedom of the Press, Publishing and Creation (OLPEC):

Pakistan

Two journalists threatened by mufti in tribal area

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has urged the Pakistani government to act against religious extremists threatening journalists and cited the targeting of Khyber Agency reporters Nasrullah Afridi and Khayalmat Shah by a local mufti, Munir Shakir.

Sri Lanka

Four media personnel receive death threats

(FMM/IFEX) - Journalist Claude Gurubavila and lawyer Manoj Thilanga, who presented a weekly political review called "Deshapalana Sathiya" on Sawarnavahini TV were threatened around midnight (local time) of 24 February 2006. Two armed persons emerged from a black van at a stop light, aiming a pistol at them and mentioning the program they presented.

Paraguay

Shots fired at journalist from "ABC Color" newspaper

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned an attack in which shots were fired at Juan Augusto Roa, a correspondent for the daily newspaper "ABC Color", based in the city of Encarnación, in southern Paraguay.

Kenya

Three journalists detained after reporting on presidential meeting

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Spain

WPFC urges senate committee to eliminate or reform laws used to convict two journalists

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 27 February 2006 WPFC press release:

Colombia

"Vanguardia Liberal" newspaper denounces surveillance by state security agencies

(FLIP/IFEX) - In a 25 February 2006 editorial, "Vanguardia Liberal", the highest-circulation newspaper of Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander department, decried the fact that the managerial staff of the paper, as well as their families, are being harassed by state security agents.

Egypt

Participants at IFEX General Meeting call for decriminalization of press offences

(EOHR/HRinfo/IFEX) - The following letter to the Egyptian authorities was issued at the IFEX General Meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, 19-24 February 2006, and is endorsed by the signatories below:

South Africa

FXI welcomes court ruling on Shack Dwellers' Movement's right to hold demonstration

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

Nicaragua

"La Prensa" newspaper and its journalists harassed for reporting on alleged corruption

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 27 February 2006 IAPA press release:

Thailand

Journalist ejected from press conference with Prime Minister Thaksin

(SEAPA/IFEX) - A local correspondent of the Associated Press (AP) was escorted out of a press conference with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on 27 February 2006 after he raised a question relating to the current political situation in Thailand.

China

Journalist Li Yuanlong charged with "inciting subversion"

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Philippines

Media targeted under state of emergency; newspaper occupied by police, TV stations "protected" by military

(CMFR/IFEX) - Exactly 20 years after the restoration of democracy and press freedom in the country, local media is again under threat since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of national emergency via Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP1017) early in the morning of 24 February 2006.

Tunisia

Journalist freed after 15 years, another still held; harassment of independent journalists continues

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Russia

NTV reporter found murdered in Moscow apartment

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Guinea

Newspaper suspended, journalists barred from working

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

Russia

Human Rights Watch urges Moscow mayor to not ban city's first-ever gay pride parade

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

Cuba

CPJ condemns ongoing harassment of independent journalists; imprisoned journalist unwell after hunger strike

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Bangladesh

Journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Chaudhury to stand trial for sedition

(WiPC/IFEX) - The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN has been informed that the trial of journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Chaudhury is to start in early March 2006. Chaudhury was arrested on 29 November 2003 and charged with sedition for his critical writings. He was released on bail on 2 May 2005. The charge carries a maximum penalty of death or thirty years' imprisonment.

China

Verdict in cyber-dissident Li Zhi case confirms implication of Yahoo!

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders said it had obtained a copy of the court verdict against Li Zhi, a former government worker jailed for eight years in December 2003, confirming that US firm Yahoo! collaborated with the prosecution, as did a local competitor, Sina.

Venezuela

Minister calls for telecommunications commission to investigate media for violating court's gag order

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 22 February 2006, Communications and Information Minister Yuri Pimentel announced he will be asking the National Telecommunications Commission (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, CONATEL) to conduct an investigation to determine if radio and TV stations have broadcast messages encouraging people to violate the law and impeded or blocked the actions of public security bodies and the judiciary and should be penalized. He also stated that he is considering the possibility of having the investigation extended to the print media.

Nepal

Five journalists freed, two remain in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the release from prison of five journalists over the past two weeks and called for two others to be immediately freed as well.

Thailand

Protesters harass TV crew for alleged false reporting

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Thailand's only private television channel, iTV, has denied allegations of false reporting in its coverage of the latest anti-government rally and filed a formal complaint with the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) to clarify the matter.

Costa Rica

Security guard fires upon journalist

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged at the 20 February 2006 shooting attack on José Alberto Gatgens, correspondent with the newspaper "La Nación". The journalist was fired upon as he left a shopping mall in Guápiles, northeast of the capital, San José. RSF is shocked that the assailant is being charged only with a firearms infraction.

Venezuela

Journalist and videographer assaulted by members of protesting student group

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 10 February 2006, journalists José Gregorio Jaén and Milagros Márquez, of the regional television stations NC Televisión and Telecaribe, respectively, were assaulted by a group of hooded assailants who identified themselves as members of the student movement "Conciencia 333". The group led a protest against the journalists' attempt to cover an academic activity at the University of Carabobo in the city of Valencia, located two hours outside of Caracas, the nation's capital.

Philippines

SEAPA alarmed by clampdown on media in Manila

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Southeast Asian Press Alliance is gravely concerned by the declaration of a state of emergency in the Philippines and condemns in the strongest possible terms government moves to curtail freedom of the press in the context of the political chaos.

Argentina

Provincial journalists threatened and bullied by local authorities

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed concern at the escalating incidence of threats and violence directed towards the provincial media on the part of officials or local politicians since the beginning of 2006.

Uganda

Website and radio station of leading independent daily blocked during election vote count

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

Egypt

Appeals court upholds one journalist's conviction, overturns others

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Mexico

Attacks spark fear, self-censorship in newsrooms of drug-plagued Mexican city, says CPJ report

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

Mexico

RSF hails appointment of special prosecutor to fight attacks on journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 23 February 2006 RSF press release:

Malaysia

Newspaper issues apology following government threat

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a statement from the Centre for Independent Journalism, SEAPA's local partner in Malaysia:

United States / China

CPJ alarmed at pattern of attacks on Chinese journalists in U.S.

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

Sri Lanka

Press ongoing target of violence, intimidation; journalists' murders still unpunished

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 February CPJ letter to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Anton Balasingham of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Peace Secretariat:

Ethiopia

British reporter unwelcome in Addis Ababa

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

India / Belarus

Belarusian and Indian authorities launch criminal actions over cartoon furor

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

Egypt

Press freedoms deteriorating one year after president's promise of improvement, says CPJ

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to Egyptian President Muhammed Hosni Mubarak:

International

International press "dismayed" at FIFA's withdrawal from talks on World Cup coverage

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

China

Trials of Zhao Yan and Ching Cheong adjourned for lack of evidence

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders called for the urgent release of two journalists against whom it said there was "a crying lack of evidence" as both trials were separately adjourned on 22 February 2006.

South Africa

FXI's Anti-Censorship Programme releases sixth progress report

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

Kenya

Arrest warrants issued against four journalists from the "Weekly Citizen"

(RSF/IFEX) - Arrest warrants were issued against four journalists from the tabloid "Weekly Citizen" by a judge, Aggrey Muchelule, on 22 February 2006, two days after police raided its offices and arrested staff at the paper and its street vendors.

Maldives

CPJ welcomes release of internet journalist, dissident; independent media still under pressure

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 February 2006 CPJ press release:

China

Journalist who was driven mad in prison freed after 16 years; a second journalist re-arrested after taking part in hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders notes the release of arts critic, Yu Dongyue, imprisoned after the June 1989 student demonstrations, who has left jail a broken man, driven mad after being tortured and held for long periods in solitary confinement.

Philippines

Reporter covering shantytown dismantlement harassed by police chief

(CMFR/IFEX) - A reporter covering the demolition of illegal housing units (shanties) along a national highway was allegedly harassed by a local police chief on 9 February 2006 in Malolos, Bulacan, located about 40 kilometers north of the nation's capital, Manila.

Romania

Six other journalists now under investigation in military leak; SEEMO protests pressuring of media

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

Romania

One journalist indicted, another freed on secrets charge

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Cuba

New crackdown launched against independent press

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed concern that a renewed crackdown has been unleashed against the independent press in Cuba and that independent journalists are suffering harassment.

Malaysia

University students face legal action for expressing critical opinions

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 22 February 2006 statement by the Centre for Independent Journalism, SEAPA's partner in Malaysia:

Uganda

Critical website Radio Katwe blocked on eve of presidential election

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 22 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

Three Iraqi media workers killed; increasing violence a "catastrophe for journalism", says IFJ

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

Iraq

Writer Kamal Sayid Qadir transferred to a prison hospital; serious health concerns

(WiPC/IFEX) - WiPC is seriously concerned that detained writer Kamal Sayid Qadir has been transferred to a prison hospital. Dr. Qadir, an Iraqi Kurd with Austrian citizenship, was arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan on 26 October 2005 and sentenced on 19 December to thirty years in prison for articles critical of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) authorities. This sentence was quashed by an appeals court in January 2006 and he is to be re-tried by a lower court on 23 February 2006. PEN seeks information about Dr Qadir's condition and assurances that he is being given all necessary medical treatment. International PEN considers Qadir to be detained in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iraq is a signatory, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Malaysia

Government suspends another daily in the cartoon affair

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 16 February 2006 statement by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), SEAPA's partner in Malaysia:

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Tide turning against criminal defamation says IFJ, citing developments in East Timor, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia

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

Thailand

Prime Minister's critic faces new defamation lawsuit

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's arch critic and media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul faces a new litigation threat amid growing public protest he helped ignite, calling for the prime minister to resign.

International

Free speech groups demand EU action on "scandal of impunity" over media killings

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

Cuba

Argentine writer blocked at Havana airport

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Swaziland

Journalists harassed, equipment confiscated at training centre

(MISA/IFEX) - On 16 February 2006, two journalists with the "Times of Swaziland" were attacked, detained and had their equipment confiscated by authorities of a handicraft training centre while on assignment.

Russia / Saudi Arabia

Second Russian newspaper closes over cartoons, editor facing charges; Saudi authorities close weekly for republishing cartoons

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 21 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Belarus

Authorities expel Polish journalist

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

Kenya

Another "alternative press" weekly newspaper raided, journalist detained

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

Niger

Journalist freed after 18 days preventive detention in libel case

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

Nepal

Security personnel harass newspaper staff

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the intervention by police in a peaceful demonstration in a remote western district and apparent attempts by armed security personnel to intimidate staff at a western Nepal newspaper.

Kenya

Police raid privately-owned weekly newspaper; journalist faces 6-month prison sentence following appeal

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has sent a strong protest to Kenyan authorities following a police raid on the premises of the privately-owned "The Weekly Citizen" on 20 February 2006, after it carried an article about power struggles within the presidency.

India

Media Offices attacked in recent string of violence by right-wing organizations

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

International

Governments must provide information about their complicity with unlawful CIA activities, says Human Rights Watch

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

Zimbabwe

Intelligence agents beat up a reporter accused of working for foreign media

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned a brutal attack against freelance journalist Gift Phiri, former reporter for the weekly "Zimbabwe Independent", who was beaten up by men accusing him of working for media hostile to the government.

Pakistan

New campaign launched for journalist missing for 11 weeks; another journalist held for one day by military secret services

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has added its voice to an appeal launched on 18 February 2006 by Pervez Shaukat, President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), in aid of Hayatullah Khan, who went missing on 5 December 2005.

Peru

Government official refuses to provide information to journalists

(IPYS/IFEX) - Since 7 February 2006, Neptalí Jaimes Zúñiga, acting director of the Áncash region prefecture, has been refusing to provide information or to make statements to journalists with no journalism degree or who do not belong to a journalists' association. The official's actions violate both Article 2 of Peru's Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, and law 26937 (31 March 1998), which establishes that one can work as a journalist without belonging to a journalists' association.

Rwanda

On the occasion of the visit of Secretary General Abdou Diouf, RSF appeals to La Francophonie over three wrongly imprisoned journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has urged Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), to intervene with President Paul Kagame on behalf of three wrongly imprisoned journalists, when he makes an official visit to Rwanda on 21 February 2006. The journalists are Jean-Léonard Rugambage, Tatiana Mukakibibi and Dominique Makeli.

Morocco

Unfair trial proceedings against weekly fuel CPJ's suspicion that record damages awarded are "politically-motivated"

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 February 2006 CPJ press release:

International

International journalists' groups to work with Muslim media to ease cartoon crisis

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 February 2006 IFJ media release:

Thailand

Anti-government protesters harass crew of state-owned TV station

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 11 February 2006, a television crew from the army-run Channel 7 narrowly escaped an attack by a group of demonstrators angered by the allegedly biased reporting of state TV stations covering protest actions against Prime Minister Thaksin, a complaint filed with the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) said.

Sri Lanka

"Sathdina" newspaper staff assaulted after being mistaken for "Irudina" staff by local opposition politician's supporters

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

China

RSF concerned about recent acts of press repression

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sickened by the cynicism of the Publicity Department (formerly Propaganda Department), which has authorised the reappearance of the supplement "Bing Dian" ("Freezing Point") of the daily "Zhongguo Qingnian Bao" ("China Youth Daily"), after removing its editor and best investigative journalist.

Bangladesh

Two journalists target of bomb attack

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Ethiopia

Two journalists jailed after press law convictions

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 February 2006 press release:

Romania

Journalist arrested for not revealing source of classified document leak

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

United States / China

RSF testifies before US House of Representatives

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 16 February 2006 RSF press release:

India

Two journalists beaten by police in Assam

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the 17 February 2006 beating by police of journalists Robin Dhekial Phukan, of the daily "Asomiya Pratidin", and Parag Bhuyan, of "Dainik Janambhumi", in Kakopathar, in the northeastern state of Assam. The journalists were there to cover a visit by State Chief Minister Tarun Gagoi.

Mauritania

Editor attacked after receiving death threats

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned a 15 February 2006 attack on Khalil Ould Jdoud, editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language daily "Al Akhbar", which began when a score of armed men sent by an ex-colonel-turned-businessman burst into the newspaper's offices looking for him.

Morocco

Fines deal potentially fatal blow to "Le Journal Hebdomadaire"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders voiced shock as managing editor Abubakr Jamai and deputy editor Fahd Iraqi, of "Le Journal Hebdomadaire" were fined three million and 50,000 dirhams (350,000 euros) for defamation, the highest ever slapped on journalists in Morocco.

Iran

CPJ concerned by unconfirmed report that recently-arrested journalist has died in jail

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Ecuador

Another journalist murdered in Guayaquil, the second in 24 hours

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is shocked by the murder of freelance photographer Saúl Suárez Sandoval, who contributed to the dailies "La Hora Durandeña" and "La Prensa de Durán". He was shot dead on 14 February 2006 in Durán, a suburb of Guayaquil in southwestern Ecuador, 24 hours after the killing in the same city of José Luis León Desiderio, of Radio Minutera.

Morocco

Reporters sans frontières appelle au calme : "Le Journal Hebdomadaire" pris à parti par des manifestants hostiles

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières appelle au calme après les manifestations hostiles qui ont eu lieu au Maroc, le 14 février 2006, devant le siège du "Journal Hebdomadaire" suite aux rumeurs propagées par des sources malveillantes accusant ce dernier d'avoir publié les caricatures du prophète Mahomet.

Morocco

RSF appeals for calm as angry demonstrators mob "Le Journal Hebdomadaire" over controversial cartoons

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has appealed for calm after hostile demonstrations were staged in Morocco on 14 February 2006, in front of the head offices of "Le Journal Hebdomadaire" following the spread of malicious rumours that it had published the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED president summoned by police special services unit

(RSF/IFEX) -The following is a 16 February 2006 RSF press release:

Russia

Klebnikov murder trial postponed because of bomb threat

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Russia

WAN protests closing of newspaper for publishing prophet cartoon

(WAN/IFEX) - The following is a joint WAN-World Editors Forum letter to the Russian information minister:

Indonesia

IFJ concerned that barring foreign media from West Papua is an attempt to conceal human rights abuses

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

India

Proposed public security act poses serious threats to freedom of expression in Chattisgarh state, warns IFJ

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

Sri Lanka

Journalist assaulted, his equipment damaged, stolen

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 16 February 2006 FMM press release:

China

Weekly supplement to reopen without key editors

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 16 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Algeria

Cartoonist Ali Dilem sentenced to one year in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has strongly condemned a one-year prison sentence and 50,000 dinar (550 euros) fine given to cartoonist Ali Dilem for drawing a dozen cartoons of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika that appeared in the daily paper "Liberté" in October and November 2003. The Algiers appeals court handed down the sentence on 11 February.

Tunisia

Leading members of CNLT questioned and harassed by authorities; copies of "Kalima" newspaper confiscated

(PEN/IFEX) - The following is a 15 February 2006 Norwegian PEN press release:

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Human Rights Watch urges Jordan, Yemen and Algeria to drop criminal charges for publication of cartoons and free journalists

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

Nepal

RSF calls for release of seven journalists held in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - As scores of political activists and journalists have just been released across the kingdom, Reporters Without Borders has urged the Nepalese government to free seven journalists who are still being held.

International

All crises carry both great risks and great opportunities, says cartoonists' group, commenting on cartoon controversy

(CRN/IFEX) - The following is a 15 February 2006 CRN statement:

Kazakhstan

Former cabinet minister responsible for freedom of expression law murdered near Almaty

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 13 February 2006, Altynbek Sarsenbayev, former minister of culture, information and sport, and two other men were found shot dead, with their hands tied, near Almaty. Sarsenbayev, his driver and bodyguard reportedly had gunshot wounds in the head and back.

Russia

New judge in trial of murdered journalist Klebnikov rejects appeal for open hearing

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 15 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Mexico

Suspected plot to silence journalist revealed

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is disturbed by the revelation of a plot apparently targeting Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, a freelance journalist and contributor to the daily "La Voz del Caribe" in Cancún, eastern Mexico.

Nepal

Journalists attacked by soldiers; three detained journalists released, a fourth remains in custody

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the 13 February 2006 attack by security personnel on two journalists in western Nepal.

Ecuador

Radio journalist murdered in Guayaquil; motive likely linked to his profession

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed its dismay at the murder on the night of 13 - 14 February 2006, of José Luis León Desiderio, of Radio Minutera, in Guayaquil, in southwestern Ecuador.

Australia

Planned phone tap laws threaten press freedom

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

Thailand

Telecommunications corporation offers to drop defamation lawsuit against media reformer

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The celebrated trial of a media reformer and a local newspaper for criminal defamation, filed by Thailand's largest telecommunications operator, took a dramatic turn on 14 February 2006, a month before the court was to issue its ruling, when the company, Shin Corp., indicated it wanted to drop the charges.

Peru

Journalist accused of libel, detained overnight by police

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 12 February 2006, columnist Ricardo Ramos Tremolada of the newspaper "Perú 21" was arrested by the police at Jorge Chávez airport upon arriving in Lima from the US. Ramos was taken to the Requisitions Division of the National Police (División de Requisitorias de la Policía Nacional) based on a court ruling ordering him to make a statement, willingly or by force, in a libel lawsuit filed in November 2004 by former-Foreign Secretary Diego García Sayán.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Editor faces possible one-year prison sentence for "insulting the government"

(JED/IFEX) - On 14 February 2006, the State Security Court (CSE) prosecutor requested that Patrice Booto, editor-director of the Kinshasa-based tri-weekly paper "Le Journal" and its supplement "Pool Malebo", be handed a one-year prison sentence with no parole. Booto was making his third appearance before the Kinshasa court.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Radio station back on the air after 13 days of suspended broadcast

(JED/IFEX) - The RTC (Radiotélévision LA COLOMBE) station in Rutshuru, located in North Kivu province, approximately 72 km from Goma, in eastern DRC, went back on the air on 10 February 2006 after a 13-day broadcasting hiatus that began on 29 January when the station's director Delphin Yenga Yenga closed the radio for reasons of general insecurity.

Vietnam

Grave concerns for health of imprisoned Internet writer Pham Hong Son

(WiPC/IFEX) - The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) is gravely concerned about the health of internet publisher and dissident Pham Hong Son, who is said to be seriously ill in prison and in urgent need of medical attention.

Democratic Republic of Congo

RSF calls for independent probe into murder of journalist Franck Ngyke

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders hailed the release on 14 February 2006 of an investigation report by partner organisation Journaliste en danger (JED) into the murders of Franck Ngyke Kangundu, a journalist for "La Référence Plus", and his wife Hélène Paka.

Cuba

RSF calls for journalist's release after prison doctors say he is "incurable in prison"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the immediate release of José Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernández, jailed since the March 2003 crackdown, whose prison doctors have said his state of health is incompatible with imprisonment.

Niger

Journalist remains in preventive detention on defamation charge

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Syria / Morocco

Moroccan newspaper says it is a victim of state-organized protests, Syrian journalist arrested over cartoons

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

China

CPJ urges Internet companies to put principles before profits in China

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 14 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Turkey

Publisher Ragip Zarakolu's trials postponed for a further two months

(WiPC/IFEX) - Two trial hearings held 15 February 2006 at a court in Istanbul against publisher Ragip Zarakolu were adjourned once again, this time to 19 April.

Namibia

Under pressure, government lifts media ban on opening of Parliament

(MISA/IFEX) - On 13 February 2006, a day before the opening of the fourth Parliament, Namibian media institutions were informed in a press statement that only photographers of the national news agency would be allowed on the floor during the opening ceremony.

International

CPJ annual survey documents "alarming year" of attacks on press, from censorship to assassination

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

India

Black week for press freedom as violence explodes in Kashmir, Manipur and Mumbai

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders voiced dismay over a wave of violence against Indian media by separatists and religious groups in the week of 6 February 2006. Attacks launched in this black week for press freedom included a murder attempt against one journalist and the ransacking of a TV station and a newspaper. One documentary was censored.

Zambia

"Defamation of the president" charge against newspaper editor Fred M'membe dismissed

(MISA/IFEX) - On 14 February 2006, the state dismissed the charge of "defamation of the president" against "The Post" newspaper editor Fred M'membe.

International

IPI supports editorial independence in cartoon controversy, calls on politicians to recognise this principle when appealing for calm

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

Paraguay

Threatened journalist missing for 10 days

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is deeply concerned about the disappearance of Enrique Galeano, who works with the station Radio Azotey in the city of Hortequa, located in Concepción department of central Paraguay.

Iran

Journalist and writer Elham Afroutan, six other journalists arrested for satirical article

(WiPC/IFEX) - International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) is deeply concerned about the arrest of woman journalist and writer Elham Afroutan, who is among seven journalists from the provincial weekly newspaper "Tammadon-e Hormozgan" ("Hormozgan's Civilisation") detained since 29 January 2006 following the publication of a satirical article. The journalists are believed to be held incommunicado and without charge, and to be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.

United States / China

Journalist with "Epoch Times" assaulted in Atlanta; newspaper accuses Chinese authorities

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about the assault committed on Yuan Li, a journalist with the daily "The Epoch Times", at his home in Atlanta on 8 February 2006. The organization is also intrigued by the circumstances under which the attack occurred.

Algeria / Yemen

Journalists arrested, newspapers closed over prophet cartoons

(CPJ/IFEX) -The following is a 13 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Colombia

FLIP asks Vice President Santos for more government action to protect journalists working outside the capital

(FLIP/IFEX) - The following is a 9 February 2006 FLIP press release:

Peru

IAPA pleased with sentencing of journalist's murderers

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 10 February 2006 IAPA press release:

Iraq / United States

RSF calls for release of journalists held in Iraq and Guantanamo

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on the US government to free two journalists it said were being unjustly held at a US prison in Iraq, and at the US military base in Guantanamo, Cuba.

Nepal

Two journalists and relatives threatened by Maoist rebels

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES, a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group, condemns threats by Maoists against two journalists in western Nepal.

Russia

Court hits Russian branch of International PEN with hefty tax bill, freezes its bank account

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Russia

CAPSULE REPORT: New NGO law an assault on civil society, says Human Rights Watch

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is an 11 February 2006 Human Rights Watch press release:

Belarus

CAPSULE REPORT: Election undermined by state abuses against media

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Bahamas / Cuba

Journalists harassed by refugee camp guards in Bahamas; Cuban journalist on hunger strike hospitalized

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

International

PEN Canada statement on cartoons depicting Muhammed

(PEN Canada/IFEX) - The following is a PEN Canada article published in the 10 February 2006 edition of "The Toronto Star" newspaper:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Press freedom group JED receives death threats over investigation into journalist's murder; CPJ calls for independent inquiry into murder

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to President Joseph Kabila:

Venezuela

Journalist facing "insult" charge as fears mount over draconian new law

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders voiced concern after the national prosecutor's office laid a charge of "insult" against José Ovidio Rodríguez Cuesta, known as Napoleón Bravo, of Venevisión TV, on 8 February 2006, since he would be the first to be tried under a draconian criminal law reform.

Indonesia

Supreme Court acquits "Tempo" editor of criminal defamation charges

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA welcomes the Supreme Court's verdict to clear Bambang Harymurti, chief editor of the weekly publication "Tempo Magazine", of criminal defamation charges. "This landmark decision will set a standard for the future application and interpretation of the laws affecting journalists' rights and freedom of expression in Indonesia," said SEAPA in a statement.

Mexico

Exorbitante fianza para un periodista detenido abusivamente

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporteros sin Fronteras (RSF) está escandalizada por el trato judicial recibido por Angel Mario Ksheratto, del diario "Cuarto Poder", detenido por tercera vez en el mismo caso por "difamación", el 4 de febrero de 2006 en el Estado de Chiapas (Sur). El 8 de febrero, el juez de Tuxtla Gutiérrez (capital del Estado), fijo el importe de la fianza para dejar en libertad al periodista en 10.000 euros. El periodista podría ser condenado a hasta cinco años de cárcel.

Mexico

Exorbitant bail set for journalist arrested over libel suit

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has voiced outrage at the arrest of Angel Mario Ksheratto of the daily "Cuarto Poder" on 4 February 2006 in the southern state of Chiapas over a libel action, and the very high bail of 10,000 euros set by a judge on 8 February. This is the third time Ksheratto has been detained because of the same lawsuit, in which he faces up to five years in prison.

Zimbabwe

Bail conditions relaxed for Voice of the People executives

(MISA/IFEX) - On 10 February 2006, a Harare magistrate relaxed the reporting conditions against Voice of the People (VOP) radio board members when they appeared in court for a remand hearing.

Sri Lanka

Newspaper journalists questioned by police

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

Peru

Journalist assaulted by supporters of presidential candidate

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the afternoon of 8 February 2006, Karina Chávez, a reporter for the TV program "Prensa Libre" ("Free Press"), was attacked by a group of supporters of Ollanta Humala Tasso, presidential candidate for Union for Peru (Unión por el Perú, UPP), as she covered a meeting in the district of Comas, northern Lima.

Philippines

Two journalists arrested for libel; suspected murderers of journalist remain unpunished

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

India

Militants attack newspaper in Kashmir; journalist shot and critically injured in Manipur

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

Yemen

Two more newspapers shut down for publishing prophet cartoons

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 9 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Turkey

Writer Hrant Dink acquitted; trials against other journalists continue

(WiPC/IFEX) - Eight writers, journalists and publishers accused of "insult" and "interference in the judiciary" have been brought before the courts since 6 February 2006, in four separate trials. One - Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian language magazine "Agos" - was acquitted. The other cases were all postponed and the defendants are destined for more weeks - if not months - of waiting in uncertainty.

China

CAPSULE REPORT: Freedom House releases report detailing censorship mechanisms, elaborate instruments of control

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

Iraq

Review of Iraq's Constitution should strengthen freedom of expression protection, says ARTICLE 19

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

East Timor

IFJ calls for letters to the president urging him to veto penal code criminalising defamation

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

Burma

Military junta launches manhunt for informants of international news media

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association have voiced great concern about a campaign launched by the military regime to track down people in Burma who give information to international media. Military officers have been trained in how to identify the sources used by international radio stations and new phone tapping facilities have been installed.

Nepal

Journalists barred from covering municipal polls; harassment, arrest and mistreatment of media professionals continues

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) - a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group - condemns the on-going incidences of harassment, mistreatment and detention of media personnel in the country in the run up to the municipal polls that were held on 8 February 2006.

Mexico

Government to name special prosecutor for crimes against press

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Colombia

Journalist flees city of Montería due to death threats

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 8 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe

Court rules that ANZ's registration request be considered afresh

(MISA/IFEX) - The High Court has quashed the Media and Information Commission's (MIC) refusal to grant Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) an operating license and ruled that its application for registration should be considered afresh.

Malaysia

"Sarawak Tribune"'s printing license suspended following reprint of Prophet Muhammed cartoons

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a statement issued by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), SEAPA's local partner in Malaysia:

China

Yahoo! involvement revealed in 2003 sentencing of jailed cyber-dissident

(RSF/IFEX) - On 8 February 2006, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the US firm Yahoo! for handing over data on one of its users in China, which enabled the authorities there to send him to prison for eight years, the second such case that has come to light in recent months.

Cuba

Journalist's health markedly deteriorated after refusing food and water for nine days

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is extremely anxious about Guillermo Fariñas Hernández, director of the Cubanacán Press news agency, who is on the verge of death after a nine-day total hunger strike in which he has refused both food and water.

Honduras

Alliance 72 submits its recommendations on the "Transparency Law" to Congress

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - Alliance 72 (la Alianza 72), a coalition of civil society organizations - including the Committee for Free Expression (el Comité por la Libre Expresión, C-Libre) - that promotes the issues of access to information in Honduras, submitted to Congress its recommendations regarding the "Transparency Law" bill to be discussed in upcoming weeks.

Peru

Electoral officials attempt to suspend television broadcast

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the morning of 5 February 2006, personnel from Huaraz's Special Electoral Jury attempted to suspend the broadcasting of ATV Channel 9 programme "Hora Clave", in order to stop a live interview with Alfredo Vera Arana, the mayor of Independencia district, department of Huaraz, northwestern Peru. Inspectors Raquel Vírhuez Castillo and Aquilina Gladys Gonzáles justified their actions by claiming that the mayor had been engaged in political propaganda, thus violating the electoral law.

Uzbekistan

Freedom House suspended from operating for six months, final appeal rejected

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

Ethiopia

Pregnant Internet journalist held for 13 days without charge

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has criticised Ethiopian authorities for "illegally" holding online journalist Frezer Negash for the past 13 days without charging her with any crime.

Thailand

Community radio operator convicted of breaching telecommunications law

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 7 February 2006, the Ang Thong provincial court convicted a community radio operator of breaching the Radio Telecommunications Act and sentenced him to a suspended sentence of four months in prison and a fine of Bht 40,000 (approx. US$1,000).

Sierra Leone

Attorney general confirms he will not pursue manslaughter charge in journalist's death

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Somalia

One year after BBC reporter Kate Peyton's murder, investigation has gone nowhere

(RSF/IFEX) - On the eve of the first anniversary of BBC reporter Kate Peyton's murder in Mogadishu, Reporters Without Borders and its Somali partner organisation, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), voiced concern that the investigation by the Somali authorities has produced no results.

Venezuela

Private media outlets face restrictions during government celebration

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 2 February 2006, Casa Militar (Military House) security personnel placed restrictions on private media journalists during the celebration of the VII anniversary of President Hugo Chávez's government's rise to power, held in Teresa Carreño Theatre in Caracas. The reporters for TV channels Globovisión, Venevisión, RCTV and Televén, radio stations Unión Radio and RCR, and some regional newspapers, were forced to stay in a designated press area during the entire ceremony. Journalists working for state run media, in contrast, were granted permission to circulate freely and have access to all government officials present during the ceremony. Private TV channels therefore had to use footage emitted by the State channel.

Morocco

Weekly ordered to pay heavy damages in continuing court harassment

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders condemned the continuing judicial harassment of the Moroccan weekly "TelQuel" after a Casablanca court ruled on appeal on 7 February 2006 that it must pay 500,000 dirhams (50,000 euros) in damages in a libel suit brought by the director of a children's aid association, Touria Bouabid.

Turkey

Judge adjourns trial of five journalists amid scuffles

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Mexico

Journalist seriously wounded during storming of border-city newspaper by gunmen

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

Yemen

Newspaper closed, arrest warrant issued for editor over prophet cartoons

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

Indonesia

SEAPA urges further dialogue before passage of new broadcasting regulations

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The following is a SEAPA open letter to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono:

International

WPFC statement on editorial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed calls for mutual tolerance

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

Thailand

Prime minister prohibits demonstrations at traditional rally site

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is moving to disrupt any repeat of the 4 February 2006 huge political rally against him, saying the grounds used for that mass assembly is now off limits for follow-up demonstrations.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Newspaper director incarcerated for 10 days in Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - Jean-Louis Ngalamulume, editor-in-chief of the Kinshasa-based newspaper "L'Eclaireur", has been imprisoned at the capital city's Penitentiary and Reeducation Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, CPRK) since 31 January 2006. The journalist stands accused of "public injury" towards Denis Kisalambote, a land holder in Mount Amba (located on the east side of the city).

Colombia

Journalist shot in Montería, Córdoba

(FLIP/IFEX) - Journalist Gustavo Rojas Gabalo is in serious condition after an attempt was made on his life on 4 February 2006, in Montería, Córdoba department, in northwest Colombia.

Greece

Journalist faces defamation charges; Rumi scholar appeals defamation sentence

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

Nepal

Freedom restricted in Kathmandu with arrests, intimidation and restricted access

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

International

IFJ speaks out against alleged EU-authored code of conduct for journalists

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

Mexico

Columnist arrested and accused of contempt

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 February 2006 CPJ press release:

China

Newspaper editor dies after police beating

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 February 2006 CPJ press release:

International

Jordanian editors jailed for publishing prophet cartoons; censorship order in South Africa; attacks reported in Beirut

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Niger

Newspaper director sentenced to prison for defaming local businessman

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

Colombia

Journalist in Florencia, Caquetá, receives death threats

(FLIP/IFEX) - After denouncing the threats to which she was being subjected, the journalist Olga Cecilia Vega fled Florencia, the capital of Caquetá department in southern Colombia, on 1 February 2006. In October 2005, she had published an interview in the U.S. newspaper "The New Herald", with a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrilla group who goes by the name of "Raúl Reyes".

Guatemala

CPJ welcomes decision to strike down "disrespect" laws

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Guatemala

Case dropped against ex-dictator Ríos Montt and his party for "Black Thursday" rampage that caused journalist's death

(APG/IFEX) - The following is a 3 February 2006 APG press release:

Pakistan

Journalists restricted entry into Commerce Ministry

(PPF/IFEX) - The Ministry of Commerce of the Government of Pakistan has restricted the entry of media persons into its premises in an attempt to restrict reporting on trade related issues, particularly on the ongoing trade negotiations with foreign countries.

Zimbabwe

New legal amendments increase fines for "presidential insult" and "communication of falsehoods"

(MISA/IFEX) - The General Laws Amendment Act (GLAA), which tightens the "presidential insult" and "communication of falsehoods" laws under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), has been signed into law.

Nepal

Weekend marked by further arrests and detentions of journalists

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) - a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group - is concerned about the on-going arrests of journalists, human rights activists and professionals by the royal regime in Nepal, while carrying out their professional duties or expressing their views peacefully over the past few weeks.

Morocco

Issue of Spanish paper banned because of article by Ali Lmrabet

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is shocked at the Moroccan government's ban on distribution of the 2 February 2006 issue of the Spanish daily "El Mundo" because it carried an article by dissident Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet.

Argentina

Reporter who exposed police abuses target of repeated threats

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 February 2006 CPJ letter to the governor of the Argentine province of Córdoba, José Manuel de la Sota:

Zimbabwe

Journalists get renewed accreditation in exchange for retraction

(RSF/IFEX) - On 2 February 2006, the Media and Information Commission finally renewed the accreditation of 15 journalists working for the privately-owned "Zimbabwe Independent" weekly, after forcing it to publish a retraction of an article about the commission that appeared last year.

Russia

Journalist convicted to two-year suspended sentence, four-year probation for "inciting interethnic hatred"

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

Denmark

Economic boycott of Danish products over cartoons an attempt at mass censorship, says CRN

(CRN/IFEX) - The following is a 2 February 2006 CRN letter to the Danish prime minister:

Peru

Radio journalist threatened in Huaraz

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 26 January 2006, Marcelo Sánchez Oliva, director and presenter of Radio Miramar's news programme "Miramar en la Noticia", received telephone threats while still on the air after he reported during his programme that a complaint had been filed against a sanitation company. The event took place in Huaraz, Ancash department, northeastern Peru.

Jordan

Editor sacked for reprinting cartoons

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the sacking of Jihad Momani, editor of the weekly "Shihan", after the paper reprinted three of a collection of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed that have stirred controversy in Europe.

Algeria

Jailed journalist suffers kidney ailment following hunger strike

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 2 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

Cyber-dissident still in prison despite release announcement

(RSF/IFEX) - Austrian national Kamal Sayid Qadir, jailed for 30 years in early January 2006 for posting "defamatory" articles online, is still behind bars despite an announcement more than a week ago by representatives of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan government that his release was imminent.

Cuba

Journalist stops drinking and eating to demand unrestricted Internet access

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced support for Guillermo Fariñas, the editor of the Cubanacán Press independent news agency, who has consumed no water or food since midday on 31 January 2006 and has told President Fidel Castro in an open letter he will pursue his hunger strike "to the death" if he and his fellow journalists are not allowed the Internet access they need for their work.

Thailand

Radio programme cancelled for discussing PM's family business deal; court finds government blockage of TV signal improper

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 1 February 2006, the business news commentary program "Business Focus," of the Army's FM 101 radio station, was taken off the air because it devoted time to discussing the Shinawatra family's controversial multi-million dollar stock transaction with Singapore's Temasek Holdings.

Swaziland

Information minister sues "Times Sunday" for defamation

(MISA/IFEX) - The "Times of Swaziland Sunday", Swaziland's independent weekly newspaper, is being sued for US$198,000 by the Minister for Information, Themba Msibi, for alleged defamation.

Philippines

A year of impunity in the murder of Edgar Amoro in Pagadian

(RSF/IFEX) - On the first anniversary of journalist Edgar Amoro's cowardly murder, Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the flagrant impunity prevailing in his case, in which arrest warrants have been issued but the suspects have never been detained although they flaunt themselves in public in Pagadian (on the southern island of Mindanao).

International

RSF appeals for calm and dialogue on Prophet caricatures

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

Thailand

Communications authority closes anti-corruption website, site seeks host abroad

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned what it said was a serious decline in online press freedom in Thailand after Corruptionwatch.net received a letter from its host, Thai Dream, on 27 January 2006 giving notice of closure on 1 February 2006 because of "technical problems".

Nepal

Journalist detained in Rajbiraj, another injured by police in Bara; radio station in Palpa damaged in clashes, out of operation

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) - a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group - condemns the police attacks against, and detention of, dozens of journalists across the country.

Nepal

IFJ condemns targeting of journalists at protests

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

France

"France Soir" editor dismissed for printing Danish cartoons of Mohammed

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

United Kingdom

Victory for free expression in acceptance of amendments to the Religious Hatred Bill

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

Sri Lanka

"Sunday Leader" editor target of MP's hate speech

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

Côte d'Ivoire

France jails Ivoirian army officer over disappeared journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 1 February 2006 CPJ press release:

Indonesia

New public service broadcasting regulations inhibit media freedom

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

Guyana

Opposition journalist gunned down in Georgetown

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced shock at the news that journalist Ronald Waddell, a former talk-show host on HBTV Channel 9, was gunned down outside his home in the Georgetown suburb of Subryanville on 30 January 2006. Waddell was also an opposition activist who was outspoken in his criticism of the current government.

Denmark

Newspaper receives bomb threat for cartoons of Muhammad

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

Nepal

Police beat, arrest journalists protesting on first anniversary of royal coup

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

Belarus

Police confiscate copies of one opposition newspaper, hassle distributors of another

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

Iraq

Two journalists reportedly kidnapped in Baghdad

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

Nepal

International organisations condemn a year of repression of freedom of expression

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 31 January 2006 joint action statement by the International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission to Nepal:

Nepal

IFJ warns regime of global isolation and backs journalists in fight for democracy

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

Nepal

Newspaper reporter arrested in Biratnagar, ordered detained for 90 days; CPJ condemns year-long media crackdown

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 31 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Nepal

Journalist ordered detained for 90 days in Bara; radio station manager detained and interrogated in Palpa

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES has condemned the arrest of journalist Chamina Bhattarai and the interrogation of another journalist, Jagdish Bhattarai, by the Nepalese authorities.

Rwanda

Journalists verbally attacked by president, publicly censured by government officials

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is stunned by the Rwandan government's inquisitorial behaviour towards two journalists working for the international media, who were publicly censured by the information minister, public radio chief and police spokesman on 26 January 2006, two days after President Paul Kagame spoke of the press with contempt at a cabinet meeting.

Russia

CPJ concerned about criminal libel cases

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

Uzbekistan

Police block access to trial of human rights defender

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

Iraq

Al Jazeera airs troubling new videotape of hostage Jill Carroll

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is very worried about kidnapped US journalist Jill Carroll after the pan-Arab satellite TV station Al Jazeera, on 30 January 2006, broadcast a second videotape of her appealing for help.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Radio station suspends broadcasts due to insecurity

(JED/IFEX) - On 29 January 2006, Delphin Yenga Yenga, the director of Radiotélévision LA COLOMBE (RTC) stationed in Rutshuru, North Kivu province, decided to suspend broadcasting for security reasons.

Honduras

Transparency Law still awaiting the political will of parliamentarians for approval

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - The Transparency Law, which deals with access to public information and the legal principle of "habeas data" in Honduras, was rejected again by the Legislative Assembly. Influencing this outcome was the pressure exerted by interest groups seeking to preserve a culture of secrecy and impunity in this Central American nation.

China

RSF calls for release of journalist Li Yuanlong

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders urged the release of journalist Li Yuanlong, who was arrested on 29 September 2005 by members of the security bureau in Guizhou province in south-west China, after posting articles online exposing local people's wretched living standards.

Thailand

Local anti-corruption website ordered shut down

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) strongly protests an order to shut down the anti-graft website, Corruption Watch (http://www.corruptionwatch.net). The site has been in operation for less than a month but has gained a large readership because of its reports on alleged corruption and non-transparent business transactions, including the recent multi-million dollar deal between the Shinawatra family and Singapore's Temasek Holdings.

Cambodia

Prime Minister breaks promise to drop defamation charge against Mom Sonando

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced dismay at Prime Minister Hun Sen's announcement that defamation charges will not, after all, be dropped against radio journalist Mom Sonando, union leader Rong Chhun and human rights activists Kem Sokha and Pa Nguon Tieng.

Iraq

Journalists wounded in Iraq blast flown to Germany

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Ethiopia

Internet reporter held without charge

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

Belarus

Police seize "antistate" video from Ukrainian TV crew

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

China

Detained dissident Internet writer formally arrested

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

Zimbabwe

Accreditation blackmail and arrest threats used against independent journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned an attempt by Tafataona Mahoso, the head of the Media and Information Commission (MIC), to blackmail journalists working for the privately-owned "Zimbabwe Independent" weekly by refusing to issue them work permits until their newspaper retracts an article questioning the MIC's independence.

Nepal

Radio journalist detained in Palpa, another FM radio station intimidated by local authorities in Baglung

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES has condemned the brief detention of a journalist working with an FM radio station and the threat by the government against another FM radio station in western Nepal.

Iraq

Killing of Iraqi television correspondent sparks fresh questions over US actions, warns IFJ

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 27 January 2006 IFJ media release:

China

Weekly supplement closed due to article on history textbooks

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced dismay upon learning the reasons given by China's Publicity Department (the former Propaganda Department) for closing "China Youth Daily"'s liberal weekly supplement, "Bing Dian", on 29 January 2006.

Colombia

IAPA urges president to re-open investigation into journalist's unsolved 2002 murder

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 25 January 2006 IAPA press release:

Burma

Junta ends year by censoring New Year's greetings, keeping sick journalist in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association (BMA) have voiced outrage that the military government ended 2005 by censoring two privately-owned weeklies and then went on to refuse conditional release for Than Win Hlaing, a journalist who is very ill after spending six years in terrible prison conditions.

Guatemala

Journalist's home shot at in Jutiapa in retaliation for his critical sports reporting

(APG/IFEX) - The APG condemns the 22 January 2006 armed attack on the home of journalist Manuel Gilberto García and his family in the city of Jutiapa, an act of intimidation which follows threatening telephone calls he has been receiving since March 2001. Unidentified individuals shot at his home in the "El Condor" neighbourhood in the city of Jutiapa on the night of 22 January. Two bullets penetrated the door of the home, landing inside.

Thailand

Government moves to block cable news station and website of critical media owner

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

Nepal

CEHURDES condemns attacks on media property, government's detention of journalists

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) - a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group - condemns the government's various recent acts of intimidation against journalists. CEHURDES also condemns the attacks on the office of a pro-government media organization and the vehicle of a newspaper.

Kazakhstan

CAPSULE REPORT: Adil Soz's year in review indicates alarming numbers for violations of freedom of expression

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - In 2005, Adil Soz's monitoring service documented over 600 violations of journalists' and media outlets' rights, which are guaranteed by the national legislation of Kazakhstan. Nineteen journalists were attacked during the past year. Fifty three of them were prevented from carrying out their professional activities, which is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 426 cases, journalists were denied or restricted access to information of public interest, according to the monitoring.

Iran

Blogger Arash Sigarchi sent back to prison

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the imprisonment of blogger Arash Sigarchi on 26 January 2006, four days after he was given a three-year sentence for "insulting the Supreme Guide" and "propaganda against the regime." Sigarchi is the author of one of the chapters in the "Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-dissidents" which Reporters Without Borders published last September.

Pakistan

Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors rejects amendments to press council legislation

(PPF/IFEX) - The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) of Pakistan has rejected amendments to the press council legislation proposed by the government. The CPNE said the amendments would change the press council from an independent and voluntary body to a 'Special Court' that could be used against the press.

Tajikistan

Journalist detained, prevented from covering demonstration

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - The following is a joint 23 January 2006 Adil Soz and National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) alert:

Nepal

Six journalists assaulted by police while covering protest rallies, another arrested; newspaper editor released

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the detention of two journalists and the manhandling of around half a dozen media personnel in various parts of the country.

Poland

Journalist released after imprisonment for libel

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

Yemen

CAPSULE REPORT: CPJ delegation alarmed by worsening press situation

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

Vietnam

Internet journalist freed; two others still in jail

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

Cambodia

Prime minister drops criminal defamation charges against three journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Lebanon

Human rights lawyer detained, faces criminal defamation charge over speech

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

Jordan

RSF concerned about Jordanian parliament's call for Danish cartoonists to be punished

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about the Jordanian parliament's call on 24 January 2006 for the punishment of the cartoonist who drew 12 caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that appeared in the Danish daily "Jyllands-Posten" on 30 September 2005 and were reprinted in the Norwegian publication "Magazinet" on 10 January.

China

Google launches self-censored search engine

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Côte d'Ivoire

A week of terror for the press as Young Patriots impose their law

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 24 January 2006 RSF press release:

Jordan

Editor faces national security charges for posting articles by MPs on website

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

Algeria

"El Khabar" correspondent fined in continuing crackdown on press

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of Bachir El Arabi, the correspondent of the Arabic-language daily "El Khabar" in El Bayadh (southwest of Algiers), who was arrested on 21 January 2006 and transferred to Ain Safra prison in execution of a one-month prison sentence for libel that was issued by a court in his absence on 29 September 2005.

Philippines

Journalists concerned over proposed amendment to Bill of Rights clause on free speech

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Philippine journalists are expressing grave concern over government moves to amend the Bill of Rights under the Philippine Constitution, pointing out that one suggested revision would weaken guarantees of freedom of expression.

China

Journalist sentenced to three years in jail

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 January 2006 CPJ press release:

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Criminal defamation laws impinging on press freedom in South East Asia, IFJ warns

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 January 2006 IFJ media release:

Iran

Jailed blogger taken to sit university exams in handcuffs

(RSF/IFEX) - Blogger Mojtaba Saminejad, who has been in prison since February 2005, was taken in handcuffs to sit his exams at Tehran's Azad University on 21 January 2006. Reporters Without Borders welcomed the fact that the Iranian courts have allowed him to continue his university course but repeated its call for his release.

Iraq

Iraqi TV journalist killed in Ramadi clashes between U.S. forces and insurgents

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

Canada

Journalists being used as arm of police investigations, warns CJFE

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

China

Popular weekly supplement suspended in new attack on the liberal press

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the 25 January 2006 suspension of the pioneering weekly supplement "Bing Dian" ("Freezing Point"), which until this week was published every Wednesday by "Zhongguo Qingnian Bao" ("China Youth Daily"). The sudden decision ends two years of friction between the supplement's editor, Li Datong, and the newspaper's owner, the Communist Youth League.

Libya

CAPSULE REPORT: Despite release of fourteen political prisoners, Human Rights Watch report highlights need to deepen rights reform

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

Venezuela

Court ban on coverage of murder case is "state censorship", warns RSF

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned a 23 January 2006 court order banning Venezuelan news media from revealing any details of the judicial investigation into the November 2004 murder of judge Danilo Anderson or mentioning a key witness in the case.

International

Brazilian newspaper attacked; Peruvian newspaper editor receives death threat; journalist covering drug trafficking harassed in Dominican Republic

(IAPA/IFEX) - The following is a 20 January 2006 IAPA press release:

Zimbabwe

"Voice of the People" trustees charged with broadcasting without a license

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 24 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Ukraine

Court closes portions of trial in journalist's murder to the public

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Sri Lanka

Journalist's killing reportedly linked to coverage of paramilitary abuses

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the murder of Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, a correspondent of the Tamil-language daily "Sudar Oli" in the eastern city of Trincomalee, who was gunned down in the early morning hours of 24 January 2006. The previous day, he wrote about the abuses committed in his region by Tamil paramilitary groups.

Serbia / Montenegro

Network licence fees threaten commercial broadcasting, warns ANEM

(ANEM/IFEX) - The following is a 24 January 2006 ANEM press release:

Turkey

Proceedings against Orhan Pamuk dropped; PEN calls for end to all trials of writers

(WiPC/IFEX) - The news that the court presiding over the case of the world-famous Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk will not proceed with the case is greeted with relief by International PEN members world wide. The decision came after the Ministry of Justice refused to take responsibility for the case. Yet it does little to assuage PEN's concerns that the right to freedom of expression in Turkey is severely curtailed by the existence of laws that penalise debate on "taboo" topics.

Pakistan

CPJ appeals to authorities for return of abducted journalist

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Uganda

CPJ urges President Museveni to cease government attempts to influence journalists

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

Tunisia

Authorities seize two weeklies

(RSF/IFEX) - On 20 January 2006, Tunisian authorities seized all copies of the weeklies "al Maoukif" and "Akhbar al Joumhouria" from newsstands.

International

CAPSULE REPORT: IFJ slams "culture of indifference" over killings of journalists as 2005 media death toll tops 150

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 January 2006 IFJ media release:

Zimbabwe

Journalist released

(MISA/IFEX) - Sydney Saize, a journalist with the banned "Daily News" who was arrested on 18 January 2006, was released after spending three nights in police custody on allegations of breaching the country's draconian media laws.

Algeria

Journalist arrested, imprisoned in libel case

(CALP/IFEX) - CALP has expressed concern that Bachir Larabi, El Bayadh correspondent for the Algiers-based Arabic-language daily "El Khabar", has been imprisoned in the town of Aïn Sefra since 21 January 2006. The journalist has started a hunger strike to protest his incarceration. On 29 September 2005, Larabi was sentenced in absentia to one month in prison with no parole.

Israel

IFJ calls for review of case of whistleblower facing jail for talking to press

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

Nepal

Journalist assaulted; Nepal Television relay station bombed; detained editor allegedly mistreated

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES, a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group, condemns the latest attacks on journalists, the bombing of the relay station of the state-owned Nepal Television and the detention of a newspaper editor in far-western Nepal.

Hong Kong (China)

IFJ calls for stronger public service broadcaster

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 January 2006 IFJ media release:

Cambodia

ARTICLE 19 concerned about draft penal code provisions on criminal defamation

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 23 January 2006 ARTICLE 19 letter to the Technical Working Group on Cambodia's Penal Code:

Philippines

Another journalist murdered

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

Ethiopia

CPJ condemns expulsion of leading foreign journalist

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

Sri Lanka

Journalist shot dead in Trincomalee

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

Honduras

CAPSULE REPORT: Lawsuits, abolition of the "insult" provision and impediments to the access to information law highlighted by C-Libre in its annual freedom of expression report

(PROBIDAD/IFEX) - The following is a 20 January 2006 PROBIDAD press release:

Sudan

Sudan's record on freedom of expression scrutinized as it hosts sixth African Union Summit

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 23 January 2006 ARTICLE 19 statement:

Sierra Leone

Attorney General halts inquest into editor's death

(MFWA/IFEX) - The Attorney General of Sierra Leone, Frederick Carew, on 17 January 2006 declared that his office is unable to lay any charges relating to the death of Harry Yansaneh, late acting editor of independent daily newspaper "For Di People".

Iraq

US Army releases Reuters cameraman after holding him for eight months

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders voiced relief at the release on 21 January 2006 of Samer Mohammed Noor, a cameraman working for British news agency Reuters, who had been held by the US Army in Iraq since 5 June 2005.

Nepal

CEHURDES condemns attacks on demonstrating journalists and writers

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) - a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group - condemns the detention of over a dozen artists, poets and writers and manhandling of journalists in Kathmandu on 21 January 2006.

Nepal

Press hard hit in government crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the censorship and police violence against journalists that have accompanied the government's crackdown on the opposition's efforts to stage pro-democracy demonstrations in the past few days.

Côte d'Ivoire

Two journalists threatened, narrowly escape mob violence

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 14 January 2006, Frank Konate, reporter, and Basile Zoma, cameraman, both of the opposition daily newspaper "24 Heures", were nearly burnt alive by a group of demonstrating Young Patriots.

Colombia

"La Tarde" director forced by death threats to close weekly, flee Barrancabermeja; other Santander journalists threatened

(FLIP/IFEX) - After weeks of intense anxiety due to repeated death threats, Diro César González, director and owner of the Barrancabermeja weekly "La Tarde", suspended its publication and fled the city, located in Santander, a northeastern department.

Liberia

Newspaper editor attacked

(MFWA/IFEX) - Alfred Kaine, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly newspaper "The Parrot", was attacked on 20 January 2006 by four unidentified men at about 10:30 p.m. (local time) at Sinkor in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

Mongolia

TV journalist target of recent attacks

(CJES/IFEX) - The following is a press release by Globe International, which is being circulated by CJES under a partnership agreement:

Mexico

Sonora state governor asked to intervene in case of police violence against journalist

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is an RSF letter to the governor of the State of Sonora:

Mozambique

Journalist's killer gets 30-year prison sentence but mysteries remain

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders welcomed the 30-year jail sentence passed on 20 January 2006 to Anibal Antonio dos Santos Junior ("Anibalzinho"), for leading the commando that gunned down journalist Carlos Cardoso in 2000. But it said many questions remained and called for an investigation of claims by his accomplices that ex-President Joaquim Chissano's son Nyimpine had been involved, and also for an enquiry into Anibalzinho's two escapes from prison since the murder.

Venezuela

CPJ deplores attempt to censor media coverage of murder case

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Côte d'Ivoire

Young Patriots end siege of state broadcaster

(RSF/IFEX) - The siege of the state broadcaster RadioTélévision Ivoirienne (RTI) by several hundred Young Patriots was lifted on the evening of 19 January 2006 and normal programming resumed on 20 January, Reporters Without Borders has learned. Most employees were able to return to their posts and talks are under way to "identify the lessons to be drawn" from the events of the past few days, a source close to the management said.

Tajikistan

CPJ alarmed by suspension of BBC FM broadcasts

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 20 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Nepal

CAPSULE REPORT: Mass arrests spark fear of violence; crackdown on civil society ahead of elections

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 19 January 2006 Human Rights Watch press release:

Philippines

Radio broadcaster gunned down

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

Iran

Blogger gets three-year suspended sentence

(RSF/IFEX) - Journalist and blogger Ahmad Reza Shiri will have a permanent threat hanging over him as a result of the suspended sentence of three years in prison handed down by a court in the northern city of Mashad on 8 January 2006, according to Reporters Without Borders. He was reportedly accused of writing articles in his blog calling for a boycott of last February's legislative elections.

Indonesia

Newspaper appeals High Court defamation ruling

(AJI/IFEX) - The newspaper "Koran Tempo" registered an appeal to be filed with the Supreme Court over a 19 January 2006 ruling by the Jakarta High Court at the East Jakarta District Court. The appeal was related to a lawsuit over a defamation case filed by businessman Tomy Winata against "Koran Tempo" and its senior editor, Goenawan Mohamad. Lawyers Darwin Aritonang and Otti Oktalinda registered the appeal.

Uzbekistan

Family believes human rights defender sentenced for denouncing massacre

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

Zimbabwe

Journalist arrested for practicing without accreditation and for "publishing falsehoods"

(MISA/IFEX) - On 18 January 2006, Sidney Saize, a journalist with the banned "Daily News", was arrested in the eastern border town of Mutare on allegations of practising journalism without the accreditation required by the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

China

Journalist tried on charges of spreading false information

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

CPJ welcomes calls by leading Muslims for U.S. reporter's release

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 19 January 2006 CPJ press release:

China

Two journalists receive long prison sentences, five others convicted after reporting on land disputes

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

Kazakhstan

Printing company cancels contracts with newspapers critical of president, editors say

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

Zimbabwe

Commission threatens one of the last independent newspapers with closure

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern at learning that Tafataona Mahoso, the head of the Media and Information Commission (MIC), recently threatened the weekly "Financial Gazette" ("FinGaz"), one of Zimbabwe's last independent news media, with withdrawal of its licence.

Côte d'Ivoire

Pro-government youth militia seize state broadcasting stations in Abidjan and Daloa

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Nepal

Newspaper editor arrested in mass crackdown before opposition rallies; over 100 jailed in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES, a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group, condemns the arrests of over one hundred political leaders, human rights activists and a senior journalist on 19 January 2006.

Zimbabwe

CPJ protests continued censorship of Voice of the People

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Morocco

Press face aggressive judicial harassment

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 18 January 2006 CPJ press release:

China

Three journalists get prison sentences after covering land dispute

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called for the release of three journalists who have been given heavy prison sentences after writing about illegal land confiscation in a magazine that had no official licence in the southeastern province of Zhejiang.

Cambodia

Journalist and human rights defenders released, defamation law still looms

(SEAPA/IFEX) - The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) has welcomed the temporary release of four prominent government critics from a Phnom Penh prison on 17 January 2006, but has also called for the dropping of the defamation charges against them and the eventual repeal of criminal defamation.

Venezuela

State agency forbids journalist, editor from publishing articles referring to president's daughter

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 9 January 2006, the National Council for Children and Adolescents' Rights (el Consejo Nacional de Derechos del Niño y del Adolescente, CNDNA) in the municipality of Irribarren, state of Lara, in western Venezuela, notified the newspaper "TalCual" that administrative proceedings had been opened against it. The paper allegedly violated the "right" to live with honor, a good reputation and privacy of Rosinés Chávez Rodríguez, daughter of President Hugo Chávez, by publishing an op-ed piece by humorist Laureano Márquez on 25 November 2005.

China

Despondency and resignations from the liberal press

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Chinese authorities' hounding of liberal dailies "Nanfang Dushi Bao" ("Southern Metropolis News") and "Xin Jing Bao" ("Beijing News"), which has spread despondency in the editorial offices expected to result in journalists resigning after the Chinese New Year.

China

Internet writer in detention nearly a month, still held on suspicion of endangering national security

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Iraq

Kidnappers threaten to kill reporter

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 17 January 2006 press release:

Russia

Putin signs restrictive NGO bill

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

Poland

Journalist begins 3-month jail term for criminal libel

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

Nepal

Government plans new authority, high fees to stifle radio stations

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has called on the international community, especially the United Nations, to persuade the government to rethink its plans to create a Broadcasting Authority with broad powers over radio stations, cable TV and online media, and to increase the cost of a radio broadcasting licence by at least 10 or 20 times.

Rwanda

Editor threatened by armed men who invaded his home at night

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced alarm at the threats made against Bonaventure Bizumuremyi, the editor of the opposition fortnightly "Umuco", by four armed intruders who invaded his Kigali home in the earlier hours of 15 January 2006.

Pakistan

Deux journalistes interpellés lors d'une enquête sur un bombardement américain

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières proteste contre l'interpellation, le 14 janvier 2006, de Haroon Rashid, du service ourdou de la BBC World Service, et Iqbal Khattak, du quotidien "Daily Times", par les forces de sécurité dans la zone tribale Bajaur Agency. Les deux journalistes enquêtaient sur les conséquences du bombardement par l'armée américaine d'un village où était censé se trouver Ayman al-Zawahiri. Dix-huit personnes y sont mortes, mais vraisemblablement pas le numéro 2 d'Al-Qaïda. Le même jour, les autorités ont confisqué la cassette vidéo d'un cameraman de l'agence de presse américaine APTN qui venait de filmer dans ce village.

Pakistan

Two journalists arrested while covering aftermath of US air strike on village

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest of Haroon Rashid of the BBC World Service's Urdu-language section and Iqbal Khattak of Pakistan's "Daily Times" by security forces in the Bajaur Agency tribal zone on 14 January 2006, while the two were covering reactions to a US air strike on a village that was supposedly being visited by Al-Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Kazakhstan

Printing company cancels contracts with opposition newspapers

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - On 16 January 2006, the opposition newspapers "Epoha", "Svoboda Slova", "Azat" and others were prevented from publishing their current editions, after the Dauyr printing company abruptly terminated their contracts. The newspapers are looking for an alternative way to print.

Iraq

US military frees two Iraqi journalists after holding them for several months

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced relief at the release of Majeed Hameed, a correspondent for the pan-Arab TV station Al-Arabiya, and Reuters cameraman Ali Omar Al Mashadani, who had been held by the US military for several months in the Camp Bucca detention centre.

China

Government lies used to conceal visit by North Korea's "Dear Leader"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the news blackout imposed by the Chinese authorities on a visit by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, which no Chinese news media has mentioned. One official after another at every level has repeatedly denied that any such visit is taking place.

Libya

Cyber-dissident Al Mansouri completes a year in prison

(RSF/IFEX) - On the first anniversary of cyber-dissident Abdel Razak Al Mansouri's arrest, Reporters Without Borders has reiterated its call for the immediate release of this former bookseller, who is serving an 18-month prison sentence for posting articles critical of President Muammar Gaddafi on the Internet.

India

Journalist flees harassment by police and militia in Chhattisgarh state

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the harassment to which Kamlesh Paikra, the correspondent of the regional daily "Hindsatt" in the district of Dantewada (in the southeastern state of Chhattisgarh), has been subjected for months by police and militia because of his reporting on the Maoist Naxalite guerrillas. He has been forced to flee his home and has lost his job.

Sri Lanka

Newspaper editor allegedly threatened by president

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 12 January 2006 FMM press release:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Radio station closed in Kisangani

(JED/IFEX) - JED has expressed serious concern following the 11 January 2006 closure of Radio Mwangaza, broadcast from Kisangani in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Zimbabwe

Repressive media law under review following criticism from regional commission

(MISA/IFEX) - The government of Zimbabwe is reportedly reviewing the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), in the wake of intense criticism and condemnation of Zimbabwe's dented human rights record and suppression of freedom of expression.

Nigeria

Television camera operator assaulted by police officers

(MRA/IFEX) - On 6 January 2006, Deji Ademakinwa, a cameraman with Galaxy Television in Lagos, was assaulted and seriously wounded by policemen in a parking lot in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.

Kiribati

Public radio journalist fired for refusing to disclose sources for report on corruption

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced its support for Taberannang Korauaba, who was wrongfully dismissed from Radio Kiribati Broadcasting, a radio offshoot of the public Broadcasting and Publications Authority, after exposing a case of corruption involving a senior official.

Peru

Mayor files complaint against TV journalists, editor for defamation

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 9 January 2006, journalists Raúl Tola and Carola Miranda, as well as editor Alfonso Ego Aguirre, of the "Cuarto Poder" television programme broadcast on América Televisión, were accused of defamation by the mayor of Nuevo Chimbote district, Valentín Fernández Bazán. Fernández filed the complaint at the district's Penal Court in the city of Chimbote, which is located in the province of Santa, in the northern region of Áncash.

Kyrgyzstan

Prosecutor threatens legal action against two editors

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

Mexico

CPJ urges President Fox to move on appointing special prosecutor for freedom of expression crimes

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to President Vicente Fox:

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist freed after spending more than three months in detention, another denied release

(JED/IFEX) - Ntumba Lumembu, a journalist with "La Tempête des Tropiques" (Tropical Storm") in Kinshasa, was released on the morning of 11 January 2006, after spending three months and 18 days in prison. During questioning by the journalist's lawyers, the State Security Court (CSE) prosecutor admitted that the journalist "could not assume penal responsibility for the charges against him, considering his deteriorated mental state established in a medical report."

Iraq

CPJ protests 30-year jail term for Kurdish writer on defamation conviction

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is an 11 January 2006 CPJ press release:

East Timor

IPI urges president to block introduction of new penal code that includes harsh penalties for defamation

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to East Timorese President H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao:

Colombia

Radio journalist threatened in Pitalito, Huila

(FLIP/IFEX) - On 6 January 2006, radio journalist Antonio Colmenares received a death threat after reading a military press release on-air. The unidentified aggressor, having taken offence at the announcement, arrived at Colmenares' place of work, the radio station "La Poderosa", where he insulted the journalist and issued a death threat.

Iraq

IFJ calls on U.S. authorities to explain army raid on home of investigative journalist

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

Cambodia

Human rights activist released on bail

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 11 January 2006, Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) Director Yeng Virak, who was arrested and jailed on 31 December 2005 for displaying an anti-government banner, was released on bail but is still facing a criminal defamation charge in court, the CLEC reports.

Colombia

One year later, the murder of journalist Julio Palacios Sánchez remains unpunished

(RSF/IFEX) - On the first anniversary of Julio Palacios Sánchez's murder in the northeastern city of Cúcuta, Reporters Without Borders voices exasperation that the investigation has ground to a halt with no arrests made. The outspoken presenter of a news programme called "El Viento" on Radio Lemas, Sánchez was gunned down on 11 January 2005.

Nepal

Two journalists receive death threats, concern mounts for their safety

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES is concerned about the safety of journalists Krishna Hari Ghimire and Dwarika Kafle.

Cambodia

Two human rights activists briefly detained in connection with signature campaign

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 7 January 2006, two human rights officials were briefly detained in Takeo Province for organising, without the permission of provincial authorities, a signature campaign to free jailed human rights defenders and journalists, the Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR) reported on 8 January.

Burma

Military officer dismissed for writing satirical articles

(SEAPA/IFEX) - An officer with the Burmese army's aviation unit was fired by the Burmese military junta for writing satirical articles about the military's recent relocation and the National Convention in a local weekly journal, "Yangon Times".

Belarus

Police seize opposition daily's print run; CPJ condemns repeated harassment of newspaper

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 10 January 2006 CPJ press release:

India

CPJ calls on authorities in northeastern state of Assam to fully investigate journalist's death

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

Russia

In Klebnikov case, opening hearing held in closed court

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

Iraq

Kurdish regional government says 30-year sentence was imposed for defaming public institutions

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has reiterated its call for the release of Kamal Sayid Qadir after the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq said his 30-year prison sentence was imposed in accordance with a law punishing "defamation of public institutions."

The Gambia

Government authorities order newspaper management to discontinue a popular column

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 13 October 2005 the Gambian authorities ordered the management of the independent newspaper "The Point" to discontinue the popular "Good Morning Mr. President" column because it was considered offensive to President Yahaya Jammeh's government.

Macedonia

ARTICLE 19 calls on authorities to expedite adoption of freedom of information law

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

International

CAPSULE REPORT: Do Internet companies need to be regulated to ensure they respect free expression? asks RSF

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 6 January 2006 RSF capsule report:

Nepal

Six journalists already arrested or threatened since the start of the year

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the continuing harassment of the independent press by the security forces in both Kathmandu and the districts, in which at least six journalists have been detained, attacked or threatened since 1 January 2006.

Indonesia

New verdict against press group Tempo threatens press freedom

(RSF/IFEX) - On 6 January 2006, Jakarta's high court upheld a defamation verdict against journalist Goenawan Mohamad and press group PT Tempo Inti Media Harian for one billion Indonesian rupees (nearly 90,000 euros) and ordered it to publish apologies in two national dailies.

India

Young journalist murdered in Assam after criticising forest warden

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the 6 January 2006 murder of Prahlad Goala, the correspondent of the regional daily "Asomiya Khaba" in Thuramukh, in the northeastern state of Assam, allegedly at the behest of a forest warden he had criticised in several articles. Aged 32, he was the first journalist to be killed anywhere in world in 2006.

Argentina

TV journalist's family still under attack despite police protection

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders is outraged at the 29 December 2005 abduction attempt and attack on Juan Manuel Otero, the son of Daniel Otero, co-producer of the Azul TV programme "Puntodoc." The Otero family, and Juan Manuel in particular, has repeatedly been the target of violence since the TV journalist exposed school canteen food shortages in the Buenos Aires suburb of Florencio Varela in September 2004.

Iraq

CPJ appeals for release of U.S. freelance journalist seized in Iraq; Iraqi interpreter murdered

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 9 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Sri Lanka

Another Jaffna newspaper office searched by soldiers

(FMM/IFEX) - Free Media Movement (FMM) condemns the searching of the office of Jaffna Tamil daily "Yal Thinnakkural" by members of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Soldiers cordoned off and searched the office on 5 January 2006 at 2.45 p.m. (local time).

China

Blogger's website deleted by Microsoft following government's request

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Peru

Radio journalist receives death threat

(IPYS/IFEX) - On the night of 26 December 2005, journalist Rory Huaney Rodríguez of "Radio Orbita" received a death threat from Jean Carlo León Martínez, the son of Amaro León León.

Central African Republic

Ex-presidential guard member threatens RSF correspondent

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

Pakistan

Authorities fail to answer questions about abducted journalist

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

Malaysia

Chinese-language newspaper's printing license may be revoked for identifying detainee's nationality

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Malaysia's independent media advocacy group, the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), has expressed concerns that authorities may revoke the printing license of a local Chinese-language newspaper, "China Press", over its recent headline which referred to the nationality of an abused detainee in a controversial video clip.

Morocco

Staff of weekly "TelQuel" sentenced on appeal

(RSF/IFEX) - On 29 December 2005, publication director Ahmed Benchemsi and news editor Karim Boukhari, of the weekly "TelQuel", were sentenced on appeal, to a two-month suspended prison term and ordered to pay a fine of 800,000 dirhams (72,000 euros). In January, the two journalists, convicted of defamation in another case, are set to reappear before the Casablanca Court of Appeal.

International

RSF annual roundup on press freedom in 2005

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 4 January 2006 RSF press release:

Cambodia

Third human rights defender charged with defamation and jailed

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR) Deputy Director Pa Nguon Teang was charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court with defaming the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen and sent to Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh on 5 January 2006, according to local press reports.

China

Transfer of Ching Cheong case to state prosecutors increases likelihood he will be charged with spying, says CPJ

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

Paraguay

IAPA urges Paraguay to adopt international legal standards regarding "malice aforethought" in news coverage following Supreme Court ruling against newspaper

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

Democratic Republic of Congo

Provincial police chief threatens to kill Radio Okapi journalist in Kisangani

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has written to the Democratic Republic of Congo interior minister calling on the federal authorities to step in to protect José de Chartes Menga of privately-owned Radio Okapi in the northeastern city of Kisangani, who has been threatened by the provincial police chief, Gen. Ignace Mongedjo.

Tunisia

IFJ protests over ban of its website

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 4 January 2006 IFJ media release:

Iraq

Thirty-year prison sentence for criticising Kurdish regional president in Internet articles

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has written to the president of the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, Massoud Barzani, asking him to intervene in the case of an Austrian citizen of Kurdish origin, Kamal Sayid Qadir, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison on 19 December 2005 for libelling him in articles posted on the Internet.

Argentina

Radio host accuses government of censorship for canning show

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 4 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Indonesia

Three reporters injured in gang attack on "Indo Post" newspaper office

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA condemns the 20 December 2005 attack by a gang of thugs at the office of a local daily, "Indo Post". "The use of violent means will further scare the media community which already have had a nasty episode with violent mob attacks," SEAPA noted.

Cambodia

Third human rights activist detained over anti-government banner

(SEAPA/IFEX) - On 4 January 2006, a third human rights defender was arrested and detained on defamation charges over a controversial anti-government banner in what is seen as an extension of the crackdown launched against critics of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodian newspapers reported on 5 January.

Nepal

CEHURDES welcomes release of editor Upadhyay

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES welcomes the release of Nagendra Upadhyay, editor of "New Malika", a Nepali-language weekly newspaper published from the far-western district of Kailali. Upadhyay had spent nearly six months in detention prior to his release.

Nepal

Journalists released

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES, a Kathmandu-based press freedom monitoring group, condemns the manhandling of journalists Moti Poudel and Kamal Pant in the mid-western district of Surkhet on 2 January 2006, while they were on duty.

Cameroon

Radio station damaged in arson attack

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

Maldives

Colombo-based exile radio station and website raided: Maldivian government accused of manipulating Interpol

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has accused the Maldivian government of repeatedly manipulating Interpol after ten Sri Lankan police officers raided the Colombo premises of radio Minivan and the Minivannews.com website, which broadcast from exile, on 28 December 2005 in a search for arms that was prompted by baseless claims by the Maldivian authorities.

China

Restless journalists at "Beijing News" kept under close surveillance

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced outrage at the methods being used by the Chinese Communist Party's publicity department (the former propaganda department) to carry out a purge at the popular, liberal daily "Xin Jing Bao" ("Beijing News"), where it seized direct control on 28 December 2005.

Spain

IPI concerned about new Broadcast Law; Catalan authorities urged to curtail Broadcast Council's punitive powers, end campaign of harassment against Cope Radio

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to Catalan authorities:

Peru

Photographers assaulted by presidential security team

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 29 December 2005, photographers Leocadio Madera of "El Sol" newspaper and Wilar Lazo Molina of "El Compatriota" were assaulted by members of President Alejandro Toledo's security team. The president had arrived in the southern city of Cusco to kick off various community campaigns.

Paraguay

"ABC Color" newspaper fined US$200,000

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF denounces the 28 December 2005 determination by the Supreme Court that "ABC Color" newspaper pay a fine of US$200,000 for damages against Senator Juan Carlos Galaverna. The newspaper has been convicted of defaming the politician, a close colleague of President Nicanor Duarte Frutos, who is suspected of corruption.

Cambodia

Human Rights Watch calls for release of jailed human rights defenders

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

Bangladesh

CAPSULE REPORT: Wave of Islamist terror sweeps over press at year's end

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 27 December 2005 RSF capsule report:

Nigeria

Court grants bail to two journalists charged with "false reporting"

(MRA/IFEX) - On 3 January 2006, a Port Harcourt High Court granted bail to two radio journalists detained on 19 December 2005 on charges of broadcasting a "false news item".

Bangladesh

Media Watch releases report on torture, killing, harassment of journalists in 2005

(Media Watch/IFEX) - The following is a 1 January 2006 Media Watch press release:

Uganda

Government continues to tighten its grip on the press with elections less than 50 days away

(RSF/IFEX) - President Yoweri Museveni's government has for the past several months been using a range of tactics to coerce and intimidate certain - often critical - media outlets and increase its influence over others in a campaign to control news and information in the run-up to a presidential election in 50 days' time, Reporters Without Borders said.

China

Journalist Jiang Weiping released from prison after five years

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 January 2006 CPJ press release:

Sri Lanka

Media network chairperson allegedly the target of assassination plot

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

Cambodia

Two human rights defenders arrested and detained for defamation

(SEAPA/IFEX) - SEAPA has raised alarms over the arrest and detention of two prominent Cambodian human rights defenders on charges of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen under Article 63 of Penal Code.

Sudan

Columnist spends weekend in prison for criticising president

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has said it was astounded by the arrest of "Al-Sahafa" columnist Zuhair Al-Sarraj for two and a half days for his writing that the president appeared indifferent to the problems of Sudan's citizens.

Nepal

Cameraman assaulted and detained by police; another journalist also detained

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

Cuba

State security agents threaten young journalist with imprisonment

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

Pakistan

IFJ condemns attack on newspaper, expresses concern over reports that information ministry is using its "influence" to initiate pro-dam campaign

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

Iraq / International

From Iraq to the Philippines, murder is top cause of journalist deaths in 2005, says CPJ

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

Senegal

President urged to reject broadcasting law passed by Parliament

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

China

Jailed Hong Kong reporter's case heads to prosecutors

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

Russia

NGO bill "deeply troubling"; CPJ concerned it will be used to interfere with news reporting

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 December 2005 CPJ letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin:

Poland

IPI urges repeal of prison sentence against editor for libel

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Lech Kaczynski and Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro:

China

Reprise en main à marche forcée de la presse libérale

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières est consternée par l'éviction de trois responsables de la rédaction du quotidien populaire "Xin Jing Bao" ("Les Nouvelles de Pékin") 2005. Cette décision a provoqué un tollé au sein de la rédaction et certains journalistes ont cessé le travail.

Nepal

CEHURDES condemns attack on newspaper editor

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the 30 December 2005 attack on Bijay Bisfot, editor of the Kathmandu-based weekly newspaper "Sram" ("Labour").

China

Editor and two deputies fired from liberal daily

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has voiced shock and dismay at the 28 December 2005 dismissal of the editor-in-chief of the popular daily "Xin Jing Bao" ("Beijing News") and his two deputies, in a move that caused an outcry at the newspaper and prompted some journalists to stop working.

Brazil

IAPA calls for action on unpunished murder of journalist

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

Ecuador

President vetoes criminal code amendment under which journalists could have been jailed

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders welcomes President Alfredo Palacio's decision, announced on 29 December 2005, to veto an amendment of the criminal code that was passed by Congress on 30 November, as one of its articles, which caused a great deal of controversy, would have exposed journalists to the possibility of long prison sentences.

India

Journalist and photographer harassed by angry crowd in New Delhi

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 28 December 2005 IFJ media release:

Israel

Al Arabiya journalist barred in latest case of discrimination against Arab media

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has said it shared the outrage of the pan-Arab satellite TV station Al Arabiya, which issued a statement on 27 December 2005 condemning an Israeli decision to ban one of its correspondents, British journalist Bassem El-Jamal, from entering the Palestinian Territories. The ban is the latest in a long series of press freedom violations by the Israeli army against the Arab media.

Maldives

Journalist Jennifer Latheef let out of prison for 10 days for health reasons

(RSF/IFEX) - Journalist Jennifer Latheef returned to her home in Malé on 21 December 2005 after being given 10 days leave from prison for health reasons. Doctors have prescribed physiotherapy for spinal column injuries. They have also recommended rest for mental exhaustion.

China

Internet writer's conviction upheld by court

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