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 […]
Jailed Mexican army officer suffers campaign of harassment due to criticism of human rights abuses
Sources: Press, Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de Derechos Humanos Brigadier General Jose Gallardo Rodriguez, whose imprisonment in Mexico in November 1993 is widely thought to be connected to his criticism of the military, was denied visits by a leading Mexican human right group — the Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de los […]
Probe into media criticism of superior courts
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Karachi According to a press release issued by the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Justice nominated in March 1995 two judges of the Supreme Court to conduct a preliminary enquiry to consider the “expediency and the propriety of taking action” in light of statements and articles […]
Trial pending for Russian journalist Stanislav Mitskevich
Source: Journalists Union of Russia, Moscow A trial is pending in the case of the 67 year old journalist of Russian origin Stanislav Mitskevich. Mitskevich, a Russian citizen and retired journalist, began working as editor-in-chief of the Russian language services of the radio station Sovetskaya Litva (Soviet Lithuania) in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1990. He edited […]
Journalist Francis Vincent and interpreter killed in ambush; cameraman wounded; driver fatally wounded
Francis Vincent, a South African journalist and the Johannesburg bureau chief for the international British television news agency Worldwide Television News (WTN), along with his interpreter, a Burundian student from the Ngagara district, were killed on 6 April 1995 at approximately 18:00 hours. They were the victims of an ambush 12 kilometres north of the […]
“Al Nahar” correspondent arrested in Gaza
Taher al-Nounou, Gaza correspondent for the East Jerusalem daily “Al Nahar”, was arrested by Palestinian police on 5 March 1995, reports RSF. He is accused of have “spread false information.” Tahar al-Nounou had written an article affirming that the 2 April explosion which killed Hamas militants could have been caused by a time bomb, a […]
“Finance Magazine” resumes publication after February attack on offices
**Updates IFEX CH alert dated 3 February 1995** The IFJ reports that “Finance Magazine”, whose offices were attacked on 1 February 1995, is publishing as usual again. It has apparently not been harassed in its operations since and is putting a magazine on the market at regular intervals.