New York, April 26, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the ruling by Israel’s High Court of Justice yesterday overturning a sweeping government ban on press accreditation for Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The court ruled on Sunday, April 25, that Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO) could not impose a…
New York, April 23, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the one-month prison sentence handed down by a Sudanese criminal court on April 10 to Islam Salih, Al-Jazeera’s bureau chief in Sudan. Salih’s lawyer, Abdel Salam Al-Gizouly, told CPJ that Salih was found guilty of several charges, including spreading false news and obstructing a…
New York, April 21, 2004—Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the deputy director of operations for coalition forces in Iraq, confirmed yesterday that U.S. troops killed an Iraqi journalist and his driver near the Iraqi city of Samara, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Baghdad, on Monday. Asaad Kadhim, a correspondent for the U.S.…
New York, April 19, 2004—A Japanese freelance journalist abducted near Baghdad last week has been released. Jumpei Yasuda, of the newspaper Tokyo Shimbun, and activist Nobutaka Watanabe were freed on Saturday, April 17, three days after they were abducted by an armed group outside Baghdad while driving to Abu Ghraib, west of the capital, to…
New York, April 19, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is concerned about reports that a correspondent for a U.S.–backed television station and his driver were killed today by U.S. fire in the central Iraqi city of Samara, north of Baghdad. Asaad Kadhim, a correspondent for the U.S.–funded Al-Iraqiya TV, and his driver, Hussein Saleh,…
New York, April 16, 2004—Three Czech journalists abducted on Sunday, April 11, outside Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, have been released, according to several new sources. Michal Kubal and cameraman Petr Klima, both of the public network Czech Television, and Vit Pohanka, of the public station Czech Radio, were kidnapped while en route from Baghdad to Amman,…
New York, April 15, 2004—Three Japanese civilians, including one photographer, abducted in Iraq last week were released today. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about reports that armed gunmen abducted another Japanese journalist and an activist from Japan near Baghdad yesterday. The Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera reported today that Japanese journalist…
New York, April 14, 2004—A French journalist abducted on Sunday near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, has been freed. The TV news agency Capa Television said that its reporter Alexandre Jordanov was released today, the Associated Press reported. No further details were available. Jordanov and his cameraman, Ivan Cerieix, were abducted on Sunday, April 11, while filming…
New York, April 13, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has learned that French journalist Alexandre Jordanov, with TV news agency Capa Television, was abducted on Sunday, April 11, near Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. Jordanov and his cameraman, Ivan Cerieix, were filming clashes between U.S. troops and Iraqi insurgents after an attack on U.S. convoy. Ceriex,…