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Reporters Without Borders today expressed deep concern about the disappearance of Riaz Mengal, of the newspaper Intikhab based in Khuzdar, Balochistan province in south-western Pakistan. His family and colleagues have said they suspect a minister is implicated in his abduction. Just before his disappearance, Mengal had written articles about mafia trafficking of stolen cars. "Riaz had received...

Reporters Without Borders today called for the immediate release of Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, managing editor of privately-owned bi-monthly Aïr Info, published in Agadez, northern Niger, who was arrested yesterday at Niamey airport as he prepared to board a plane for France. Niger border police seized Manzo Diallo as he was going through the departure area for a late night Air France flight to Paris...

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the harassment of two Amnesty International researchers and a Gambian journalist, who were arrested and detained for three days before being released on bail, pending possible legal proceedings. The worldwide press freedom organisation joined Amnesty International in urging the Gambian authorities to immediately and unconditionally clear all three of any...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Time magazine said Wednesday it would ask Indonesia's top court to review a ruling that ordered the magazine to pay $106 million, saying it defamed former Indonesian dictator Suharto. Time had run a cover story in its Asian edition in May 1999 saying that the family of Suharto had amassed billions of dollars during his 32-year rule. Time had won two earlier court challenges to the...

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, October 9, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Philippine government to act quickly to apprehend the gunmen who shot and seriously wounded radio commentator Jose Pantoja on Monday in the city of Iligan, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) southeast of Manila. Pantoja was a "block time" broadcaster - an independent commentator who leased time from radio...

(IFJ/IFEX) - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned plans by the Thai National Legislative Assembly to extend laws that restrict media coverage of cases dealing with the royal family and advisors. Under these proposed amendments to lese majeste laws, journalists could face three years' imprisonment and be fined 60,000 baht (approximately US$1900) for ignoring a...

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 3 October 2007, Miltón Otero and Julio Daniel Otero, photographer and editor, respectively, of the fortnightly paper "El Observador", were beaten by a mob comprised of supporters of the political coalition Colombia Democrática. The attack was led by former mayor José Bentín Figueroa and the teacher Rafael Figueroa Flórez, and took place when the journalists were taking pictures of...

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, October 9, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned by a recent crackdown on the Internet in China in advance of the 17th Communist Party Congress. The Congress, which is held every five years, is set to begin in Beijing on October 15 and is expected to formally promote a new generation of party leaders. In recent weeks, authorities have intensified...

(JED/IFEX) - On 8 October 2007, the National Communication Council (Conseil national de la communication, CNC), Gabon's media regulatory body, suspended two newspapers: "La Nation", a privately-owned bi-monthly based in the capital, Libreville, and "Le Gri-Gri International", a satirical, privately-owned bi-monthly published in Paris, but distributed in Gabon. In a statement that appeared on 8...

(IMI/IFEX) - On 9 October 2007, the harshly critical journalist Vitaliy Portnikov resigned as editor-in-chief of "Gazeta 24" daily newspaper and of the media holding "MediaDim". Portnikov cited "political censorship" as the motive for his resignation in an open letter to the journalists and to readers of "Gazeta 24". The text of his letter follows: "I regret to inform you that I had to cease...