Dear Mr. Ramírez Acuña: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about the investigation into the 1998 murder of American journalist Philip True and the prosecution of the two suspects accused of this crime. On August 3, Colotlán municipal judge José Luis Reyes Contreras acquitted Juan Chivarra de la Cruz and his brother-in-law Miguel Hernández de la Cruz, who had been accused of murdering True. The Jalisco State attorney general’s office appealed the acquittals in a September 25 hearing before a panel of three judges from the State Supreme Court of Justice. A ruling on the appeal is expected soon.
New York, October 16, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists is monitoring with concern a pattern of threatening incidents involving journalists working in the United States. In recent weeks, several employees of U.S. media companies have been exposed to anthrax. Robert Stevens, a photo editor at The Sun in Boca Raton, Florida, died after inhaling anthrax.…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonpartisan organization dedicated to the defense of journalists worldwide, is writing to express its profound sorrow over the killing of radio journalist Parmenio Medina Pérez. We are encouraged by the swift start of the official investigation and hope the authors of this heinous crime will be brought to justice.
Bogotá, October 5, 2001—Leftist guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) harassed seven journalists on September 28 while the reporters were on their way to cover a protest march sponsored by Liberal Party presidential candidate Horacio Serpa. Eight FARC fighters erected a roadblock and stopped the journalists around noon outside the southern village…
New York, October 4, 2001—In a major step backward for press freedom in Argentina, the Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court ruling against the weekly newsmagazine NOTICIAS. According to the judgment, NOTICIAS violated former president Carlos Saúl Menem’s right to privacy by reporting on his extramarital relationship with Martha Meza, a former schoolteacher…
New York, October 4, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by reports that U.S. officials pressured Qatar in an attempt to influence the news coverage of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel. Following a meeting yesterday in Washington, D.C., with U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell, Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani…
New York, October 3, 2001—In an unprecedented decision, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued provisional measures granting a Costa Rican newspaper relief in a freedom of expression case. On September 7, the court, which is based in San José, Costa Rica, issued “provisional measures” ordering Costa Rican authorities to stay certain sections of a…
New York, September 27, 2001—After a barrage of criticism from the local media and civil society, the Paraguayan government repealed a controversial new access to information law that restricted the ability of journalists to obtain public records. On September 24, President Luis González Macchi repealed Law 1728 on Administrative Transparency and Free Access to Information.…
New York, September 27, 2001—Under pressure from the U.S. Department of State, the Voice of America (VOA) recently delayed airing a story containing parts of an exclusive interview with the leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban movement, Mullah Mohammed Omar. The federally funded broadcaster’s decision came after Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage and senior National…