Two journalists freed on bail
June 15, 2006 Original Alert: February 16, 2006 Elham Afroutan and Mohsen Dorostkar, Tammadon-e Hormozgan IMPRISONED On January 29, Mohsen Dorostkar, editor-in-chief of Tammadon-e Hormozgan, and Elham Afroutan, a journalist for the weekly, were among seven journalists jailed after publishing a satirical article written by an Iranian Web blogger in Germany, and likening Iran’s 1979…
Publisher released after two years in prison
New York, June 14, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release today of Mohamed Benchicou, publisher of a newspaper critical of the Algerian government, who was jailed two years ago for allegedly violating currency regulations. “We are relieved that our colleague Mohamed Benchicou is once again a free man, but his release doesn’t alter…
Journalist acquitted but media prosecutions continue
New York, June 9, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the acquittal of a Turkish newspaper columnist by an Istanbul court on Thursday, but remains deeply concerned by the ongoing criminal prosecution of journalists in Turkey. Murat Belge of the daily Radikal was acquitted on charges of attempting to influence the outcome of judicial proceedings…
Newspaper office ransacked, journalist stabbed
JUNE 8, 2006 Posted: June 22, 2006 Muhammad Bader al-Deen al-Bideiri, Al-Masar ATTACKED Around 9 p.m., a group of armed men ransacked the offices of a leading daily in Mosul, Al-Masar, and repeatedly stabbed the deputy editor Muhammad Bader al-Deen al-Bideiri.
Authorities harass journalists interviewing al-Zarqawi relatives
JUNE 8, 2006 Posted: June 12, 2006 Al-Jazeera crew, CBS crew HARRASSED Jordanian security services abruptly halted a live Al-Jazeera interview with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s brother-in-law, and briefly detained the satellite channel’s interviewer Yasser Abu Hilala, and his crew in al-Zarqa, north of Amman.
Online journalist to serve six months in prison
New York, June 7, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the prison sentence handed down to a Syrian online journalist by a military court for articles advocating rights for Syria’s Kurdish minority, and criticizing the ruling Baath Party. Muhammad Ghanem, editor of the news Web site Surion, was found guilty Tuesday of…
Turkish journalists face ongoing criminal prosecutions
New York, June 7, 2006— The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the ongoing criminal prosecution of journalists in Turkey. Three journalists are before the courts in Istanbul this week for their work. Perihan Magden, a columnist for the weekly magazine Yeni Aktuel, went on trial today charged with discouraging Turks from performing military…
CPJ protests media repression
Your Excellency: We are writing to you as president of a country that is an elected member of the newly established United Nations Human Rights Council, to urge you to uphold the right to press freedom in Tunisia. The Council, which will meet later this month for the first time, is the main U.N. body tasked with promoting human rights. As an elected member Tunisia is required to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights,” according to the U.N. General Assembly resolution that established the Council.
CPJ sends new Iraqi prime minister press freedom recommendations
Your Excellency: We are writing to express our concern about a disturbing pattern of restrictions on the press in Iraq, and to urge your new government to take swift action to ensure the ability of journalists to carry out their work without official interference.
Palestinian journalists attacked, threatened by leading factions
New York, June 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalist is deeply concerned by attacks and threats against the press in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by suspected members of the two major Palestinian parties, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Fatah movement.