Journalist Pedro Valdez Bernales freed
On 1 June 1995, after having been imprisoned for more than two years, Peruvian journalist Pedro Valdez Bernales was found innocent by a special anonymous tribunal of the Lima Supreme Court. **Updates Alerts from 31 March and 16 February 1995. For background, see Alerts from 6 September and 26 July 1994** The case was returned […]
Proposed Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting desecration of US flag
On 25 May 1995, a Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House of Representatives agreed by a seven-to-five vote on a proposed constitutional amendment empowering Congress and the states to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States of America. The proposed amendment (H. J. Res. 79) will next be considered by […]
Newspapers “Le Bucheron” and “La Griffe” banned
In a 20 April 1995 letter, the Minister of the Interior of Gabon ordered the head of the national printing press to cease printing the newspapers “Le Bucheron” and “La Griffe”. The Minister justified his decision by explaining that “`Le Bucheron’ has reprinted information from newspapers we have explicitly banned from distribution in our territory […]
Five detained “Al Istiqlal” journalists remain in detention
**Updates IFEX CH alerts dated 15 March and 28 February 1995** The IFJ reports that five of the six journalists from the weekly newspaper “Al Istiqlal” arrested in an 8 February raid remain in prison. They are: Atiyeh Abu Mansour, Khaled Sadeq, Nahed Kutkut, Muhammad Sayyad, and Zakariya Madhun. Izaddine Sharif is no longer in […]
Serious fears for health of detained writer Ken Saro-Wiwa
**Updates IFEX CH alerts dated 22 March, 24, 17, 8, 6 February 1995 and others** There are deep concerns for the health of Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa after recent reports that he has not been able to attend his tribunal on at least two occasions in the last month due to ill-health and that the […]
Three “Le Messager” vendors mistreated by police; two of them detained; copies of newspaper confiscated
Two newspaper vendors were arrested and another was manhandled in Douala on the morning of 17 April 1995. Emile Kouakam reportedly was manhandled by police; Ernest Ndongmo and Simon also were mistreated and then were taken to the Central Commissariat in Douala. According to ARTICLE 19’s sources, the three vendors were targeted by the police […]
Theatre group could face prosecution
The state is considering prosecuting a theatre group because of its performances of a play referring to the murder of four politicians during the regime of former dictator Kamuzu Banda. An Associated Press (AP) report carried in the 17 March 1995 edition of the South African “Weekly Mail and Guardian” newspaper says that Malawi’s Chief […]
APS news agency correspondent arrested
Abdelkader Hadj Benaamane, the Tamanrasset correspondent for the official news agency Algerie Presse Service (APS), was arrested over ten days ago and is being held in a prison in the region of Tamanrasset. Charges have not yet been officially brought against Abdelkader Hadj Benaamane, but seem to be in connection with an internal wire written […]
Publisher of “Filastin” Taher Shriteh’s home raided in Gaza
Early on the morning of 13 April 1995, 20 members of Force 17, the personal guard unit of Yasser Arafat, raided the Gaza home of Taher Shriteh, publisher of the independent weekly “Filastin” and a stringer for Reuters and CBS News. They did not find Shriteh and proceeded to beat his brothers Fakher, Amer, and […]
Raid on offices of Gaza newspaper; 3 journalists detained for several hours
On 13 April 1995, officers with General Intelligence raided the Gaza offices of “Al-Watan”, a pro-Hamas weekly newspaper, and detained three journalists with the paper. The officers severely beat deputy editor Ghazi Hamad in the course of the arrest, local sources told the CPJ. Hamad, editor-in-chief Sayed Abu Musameh, and reporter Nafez al-Ji’b were held […]
Update on missing “Nevskoe Vremya” journalists in Chechnya
**Updates IFEX CH alerts dated 17 and 14 March 1995** After exhausting all efforts to find the missing journalists Maxime Chabaline and Felix Tritov through their political channels, the staff of St. Petersburg newspaper “Nevskoe Vremya” organized a third search group, which left for Chechnya on 9 April. The group planned to exhume several graves […]
Two detained journalists released
**Updates IFEX CH alerts dated 15 December, 27 October and 26 August 1994** Goshu Mogues, editor of the weekly “Tobia”, sentenced to six months in prison, has since been released on bail. Habtamu Belete of “Rukhama”, has since been released after completing a six month prison term. Source: Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association, Addis Ababa
Eighteen journalists arrested and held; some released, two charged, others remain in detention without charge
Source: Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association, Addis Ababa Eighteen journalists were arrested by plainclothes policemen in the first week of December 1994, reports the IFJ. The arrests are said to be part of a campaign of intimidation and harassment of journalists of the independent weeklies in Addis Ababa by security agents of the transitional government […]
President responds to CPJ on threats and attacks against Colombian journalists; further action required
**Updates IFEX CH alert dated 11 April 1995** On 11 April 1995 CPJ sent a protest letter to Colombian President Ernesto Samper expressing concern over recent threats and attacks against Colombian journalists in the cities of Cali and Valledupar, Colombia. According to Colombian reporters, national correspondents reporting on recent anti-drug sweeps in Cali have been […]
Three journalists arrested
Alaa al-Masharawy, a reporter for the Jerusalem-based “Al-Quds” daily newspaper, was detained by Palestinian police on 9 April at the Erez checkpoint near the border with Israel. Also on 9 April, police arrested Muhammad Jahjouh, a freelance cameraman, at his home in the Shatti refugee camp. On 10 April, members of Military Intelligence detained cameraman […]
Arrests and attacks on journalists during events in Gaza
Several journalists were reportedly beaten by soldiers after two anti-Israeli attacks in Gaza on 9 April 1995. At least three of the journalists were held and questioned by soldiers. They are Shlomi Eldar, of Israeli State Television; Najib Abu Djubein, a cameraman for the Associated Press news agency; and Muhammad Daoudi, a Worldwide Television News […]