Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 15 September 1997 press release, RSF reported that, after the eighth hearing in the trial of eleven police officers accused of murdering journalist Metin Goktepe, four of the officers — Fadai Korkmaz, Murat Polat, Burhan Koc and Metin Kusat — were released pending a verdict in the case. Five are still […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 8 September 1997, Hassan Siad, editor-in-chief of the daily “Jamhuria”, was arrested by police. Meanwhile, the commander of Hargeisa police ordered the closure of the newspaper. On 9 September, the police cordoned off its printing press. Moreover, Mahmud Abdu Shide, owner of the newspaper’s publishing centre, was detained for allegedly printing fake […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 12 September 1997, three police officers entered the office of the Albanian-language daily “Koha Ditore” in Pristina and took journalist Baton Haxhiu to the police station for questioning. Haxhiu was interrogated for two hours regarding his meetings with foreign diplomats, politicians and students. According to the newspaper’s directors, the police wanted information […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 15 September 1997, RSF expressed concern at the very heavy penalties imposed on five members of the editorial staff of the Saudi daily “Asharq Al-Awsat”. According to RSF’s information, on 14 September, the Cairo criminal court sentenced owners Hisham and Mohammad Ali Hafez, and editor-in-chief Osmane al-Amir (three Saudis), along with two […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 27 August 1997, Adil Harmanci, a journalist with the daily “Olkede Gundem”, was threatened with death by Saban Kahraman, head of village security, a civil authority instituted by the army. Kahraman also specifically let it be known to Harmanci’s neighbours in the Sabaniye quarter of Van, in eastern Turkey, that the journalist […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On the evening of 30 April 1997, Bosco Tchoubet, director of publication of the privately-owned newspaper “La Revelation”, was arrested in Yaounde. The journalist was then detained at the Central Office of Judicial Investigations of the Secretary of State for Defence (“la Direction centrale de recherche judiciaire du secretariat d’Etat a la Defense”) […]

On 19 October 1996, French air and border police seized the 17 October issue of the Algerian daily “Liberte” at the Lyon airport, as the paper entered France for distribution. The seizure of the paper was carried out under rules governing the distribution of foreign publications in France. No official reason for the seizure was […]

On 23 October 1996, the 20-26 October 1996 edition of the English-language newspaper the “Middle East Times” was banned from distribution by the censorship office. Every week before the newspaper is printed, the editorial staff has to submit all the articles to officials of the Information Ministry. The 20-26 October edition contained a report giving […]