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New York, October 18, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is distressed to learn of the shooting death of Azar Abbas Haidri, a staff reporter for The Post, the Islamabad-based, English-language daily. Azar’s body was found in Karachi early Tuesday morning. He had gone there to celebrate the Muslim Eid holiday with his family. “We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Azar Abbas...

(MISA/IFEX) - On 16 October 2007, a police officer manhandled "The Star" photographer Matthews Baloyi and confiscated equipment belonging to him, while chief photographer Chris Collingridge was arrested for taking down the registration number of a private car used by a police officer. Collingridge was later released. The incident took place following heated scenes between the South Africa Police...

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 18 September 2007, Judge Haydee Monzón, of the First Criminal Transitory Court of Lima, convicted the editor of the newspaper "La República", Gustavo Mohme Seminario, as well as cartoonist Carlos Tovar Samanez ("Carlín") and journalists Ángel Páez and Edmundo Cruz, of aggravated defamation. The ruling imposes a two-year suspended prison sentence and the payment of 50,000 soles (US...

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, October 16, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists released the following statement today after Chadian authorities issued the second state of emergency since May including a blanket suppression of media across the country. "We are deeply concerned by the state of emergency in Chad which reintroduces blanket censorship of the press," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator...

New York, October 15, 2007—A story describing purported late-night outings involving President Abdoulaye Wade led authorities in the capital, Dakar, to arrest a journalist last week, according to local journalists and news reports. A reporter involved in the story is wanted by police and has gone into hiding. Papa Moussa Guèye, director of the private newspaper L'Exclusif—the only daily based in...

(Adil Soz/IFEX) - Saida Kurbonova, editor-in-chief of the "Ovoza" newspaper, and two of the newspaper's journalists, Mukhaiyo Nozimova and Farangis Nabiyeva, are facing charges under Article 135 ("slander contained in public speeches"), Article 136 ("insult contained in public speeches") and Article 144 ("illegal collection and distribution of private information") of the Criminal Code. The...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders welcomes the arrest of Wensley Boshomme, a gang member also known as "Zachary Occeda" and "Bertold," who is suspected of participating in the July 2005 murder of Jacques Roche, the head of the arts and culture section of the daily "Le Matin". Boshomme was arrested in a joint operation by police and members of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti...

(IFJ/IFEX) - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has supported the Thai Parliament's decision not to extend its lèse majesté laws, which restrict media coverage of issues involving the royal family and advisors. Thailand already has severe lèse majesté laws to protect the royal family from criticism or attack. Any journalist in breach of the laws faces a prison term of up to fifteen...

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, October 15, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest of Khin Mar Lar, the wife of award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Thaung Tun. Khin Mar Lar was arrested on September 25 in her family home in Amarapura, a suburb of Mandalay, by police looking for Thaung Tun, according to the U.S. Campaign for Burma (USCB). Tun, who is also known as...

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the arrest yesterday of journalist Emadeddin Baghi on a charge of “propaganda against the government.” Baghi is a leading advocate of the rights of prisoners of conscience in Iran. “Baghi’s arrest is an example of the strategy of harassment and pressure being used against journalists by the Iranian authorities, who are trying to silence the growing...