Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

On 22 February 1995 Alexei Kostin, founder and publisher of the Latvian-based newspaper “Yeshcho” goes to trial. Kostin has been incarcerated since February 1994 when he was arrested for producing and distributing pornography. He was arrested despite the fact that “Yeshcho”, the publication deemed pornographic by the prosecutors, was never ordered to cease publication. Kostin’s […]

Ruperto Armenta Gerardo, editor of the Guasave-based weekly, “El Regional”, in the state of Sinaloa, was beaten to death by unidentified men, on 5 February 1995. Gerardo’s body was found inside a water canal near the town of Guasave. Although it is not known if his murder was related to his work as a journalist, […]

**Updates IFEX CH alert dated 3 February 1995** As reported by CPJ on 3 February 1995, the pro-Kurdish independent daily “Ozgur Ulke” was banned from publication by the courts on 2 February. CPJ now confirms that, when the ban was communicated to the printing and distribution companies, as well as the newspaper’s staff, “Ozgur Ulke” […]

**For Background, see IFEX CH alert dated 20 January, 1995** An Istanbul court decided on 2 February that “Ozgur Ulke” was the continuation of the now defunct “Ozgur Gundem”, and that therefore its publication violated the press law which states that “any publication that is clearly a continuation of a publication that was shut down […]

**Updates IFEX CH alert dated 14 September 1994** CPJ confirms that on 1 October 1994, radio broadcaster Hsu Rong- chi (also reported as Hsu Jung-chi) was sentenced to eight months in prison for mobilizing thousands of taxi drivers to blockade the Finance Ministry in February in protest against high insurance premiums. On 29 October, Hsu […]

**For background, see IFEX alerts dated 1, 2 August, 14 September 1994 and 2 February 1995** On 16 January, four stations were simultaneously closed in different parts of the island. The four are Voice of Taiwan Nation, which broadcasted from a mountain-top Buddhist temple to the north of Taipei, the Kaohsiung station Voice of Sweet […]

**For background see IFEX CH alerts dated 17 January 1995** A new form of censorship is being practised against non-mainstream publications in Turkey. On 6 January, police and courts began confiscating newspapers and magazines deemed “separatist” before they are distributed. The pro-Kurdish daily “Ozgur Ulke”, the right-wing weekly “Taraf”, the left-wing weeklies “Gercek” and “Alinteri”, […]

At the end of 1994, 17 of Romania’s major publications announced to their readers that they may shut down. The state-owned Letea paper mill is the only supplier of newsprint in the country. It announced that it will halt production for a few months due to raw materials shortages. The editors and publishers of the […]