“Koha” newspaper allowed to resume publishing
**Updates IFEX alert dated 11 April 1996** On 10 April 1996, the Prosecutor General’s Office allowed the Albanian-language weekly “Koha” to resume publishing. Furthermore, the Office reportedly told the manager of the printing press that he could proceed once again with printing “Koha” without submitting their material for approval beforehand. Recommended Action Send appeals to […]
Additional prison sentences imposed on journalists Win Tin and Myo Myint Nyein
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 10 January 1996 and 10 July 1995** On 28 March 1996, Win Tin, the former editor of the “Hanthawati” newspaper, and Myo Myint Nyein, editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine “What’s Happening”, were given additional sentences of five and seven years respectively. They were found guilty of smuggling letters to Professor Yozo […]
Kashmiri editor found dead three weeks after abduction
On 10 April 1996, the body of Kashmiri newspaper editor Ghulam Rasool Sheikh was found in the state’s Jhelum river. Sheikh had been missing since late March, when family members said that he was kidnapped by an Indian-backed militia. Local police, on the other hand, contend that he was abducted and slain by separatist guerrillas. […]
Court files of Jesus Alfonso Castiglione Mendoza requested by key legal authorities; cases of two individuals originally convicted with Castiglione to be tried again
**Updates IFEX alerts of 12 March, 22 February 1996; 22 November, 15 August 1995; 13 October, 25 May 1994, and others** In a recent interview broadcast on the radio program “Programas del Peru”, Dr. Carlos Rivera, a lawyer for the Institute for Legal Defence (Instituto de Defensa Legal, IDL), stated that the file (the court […]
United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) concludes that contempt charges against “The Post” editors violate International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
Source: Inter Press Service (IPS) **Updates IFEX alerts dated 1 April, 27, 25, 20 March, 23 February, and others** Wrapping up its hearing on the upholding of and respect for human rights in Zambia, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) says that “Zambia’s human rights record has not improved.” The UNHRC, which convened in […]
Journalist Professor Malema under investigation
Professor (sic) Malema, a journalist for the privately-owned newspaper “Botswana Guardian”, is currently under investigation by the Office of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), which operates out of the Office of the President. Rodger Batty, Head of Prosecutions for the DCEC, confirmed that he is investigating Malema. He stated that his office […]
Journalist Erwin San Juan attacked
In the early morning of 9 April 1996, several unidentified men broke into the house of Erwin San Juan, a journalist with the daily “Ultima Hora”. The men tied up San Juan and his wife, searched their house, and stole some camera equipment and money. They also tampered with San Juan’s press credentials. Upon seeing […]
Pressure placed on staff of two state-run newspapers
On 9 April 1996, presidential spokesperson Kamil Bayalinov announced that by virtue of a principle of “rotation of administrative staff,” the editor of the state-run newspaper “Slovo Krghyzstana”, Aleksander Malevanni, had been “transferred” to the editorial department of another state-run newspaper, “Svobodnie Gori-Erkin Too”, and that his associates, Ella Taranova and Danil Kishtobayev, had been […]
“Koha” newspaper suspended
On 7 April 1996, six police officers entered the printing house of “Koha”, an Albanian-language weekly in Pristina, Kosovo, and ordered the stoppage of the printing presses until the issue’s contents were inspected. The police also questioned the owner of the printing house for two hours. The police then insisted that by order of the […]
Amendments to Penal Code could threaten freedom of expression
On 26 March 1996, the coalition government of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar pushed through Parliament several amendments to Slovakia’s Penal Code. The amendments allow for imprisonment of people who are found to have organized anti-government rallies or spread false information about Slovakia abroad. This new legislation states that those who with “malicious intent circulate false […]
Journalist Rafael Solano freed
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 27, 21, 12 March and 29 February 1996** On 8 April 1996, journalist Rafael Solano, president of the independent news agency Habana Press, was released after being imprisoned for 42 days. However, the charges brought against Solano–alleged “association with persons with the intent to commit a crime”–stand. Consequently, unless the Cuban […]
Two journalists sentenced to six months in prison
On 4 April 1996, Mahmoud el-Maraghy and Gamal Fahmi, editor-in- chief and columnist respectively for the opposition weekly “Al- Arabi”, were each sentenced to six months in prison for “slandering a member of parliament.” They were also each fined US$ 200. They have appealed the decision and are currently free. The two journalists had published […]
Case of Mamonyane Matsa’ba postponed indefinitely
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 14 March and 24 January 1996** The disciplinary case against journalist Mamonyane Matsa’ba has been postponed “indefinitely.” However, it seems that this latest delay in Matsa’ba’s case will have “bad effects” on the journalist. “The pending case is haunting her…and it serves as a censorship,” said MISA-Lesotho Chairperson Bethuel Thai, adding […]
Albanian journalists subject to harassment and assaults
In the months of February and March 1996, several Albanian journalists were subject to physical attacks as well as other forms of harassment. On 16 March, Aleko Likaj, a correspondent with the newspaper “Koha Jone”, was seriously injured by three people over an article that he had previously written about the closure of a local […]
Telecommunications cabinet minister fired
Dr. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting, was dismissed from his cabinet post on 28 March 1996 after a series of conflicts with President Nelson Mandela and other senior African National Congress (ANC) members. Jordan was a strong opponent of state interference in the broadcasting services and regularly opposed Mandela and fellow cabinet […]
Newspaper “Evrensel” ordered shut down; paper’s editor sentenced to two years in prison
On 9 April 1996, Istanbul State Security Court ordered the leftist daily “Evrensel” shut down for one month for having published two articles on 30 August 1995. The first one, entitled “Special Forces Execution in Midyat,” was ruled to have incited racism, which is in violation of Article 312 of the Penal Code. The second […]