Articles by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Journalist Nyenati Allison targeted; widespread looting targets media outlets; local coverage of conflict nonexistent
Liberian journalist Nyenati Allison, correspondent for the Associated Press (AP) news agency and the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) “Focus on Africa”, was targeted by both sides of the recent factional fighting in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. On 7 April 1996, one day after fighting erupted, Allison was chased into hiding by a group of fighters […]
Daily “Evrensel” ordered shut down for ten days
**For background to previous closures of “Evrensel”, see IFEX alert dated 10 April 1996** On 18 April 1996, Istanbul State Security Court ordered the leftist daily “Evrensel” closed for ten days for publishing the statement of a terrorist organization, a violation of Article 7 of the Anti-Terror Law. The charge stems from an article published […]
Journalist Chikeluba Kenechuku deported to Senegal
On 16 April 1996, Chikeluba Kenechuku, a journalist for the “Daily Observer” newspaper, was instructed by authorities to report to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) office, where some of his previously seized documents and personal effects were returned to him. Kenechuku was then driven by NIA agents to Immigration Headquarters in Banjul and handed over […]
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. […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]