[eccr] Fwd: CPU Press Freedom Review

CPU Press Freedom Review

BREAKING NEWS IN FULL:

Zimbabwe leaves the Commonwealth

Zimbabwe decided to leave the Commonwealth after heads of government voted 
in favour of a continued suspension from its councils.

The Zanu-PF government resolved to withdraw from the Commonwealth with 
immediate effect shortly after the heads of government made the decision to 
uphold the suspension.

The Commonwealth has always ruled on consensus but the Zimbabwe issue is 
said to have caused fractures among the heads of government.

Zimbabwe has been held in violation of international laws of human rights 
and freedom of expression enshrined in its constitution.

Bangladesh activists threaten to cut off journalist's hands

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists threatened to cut off 
correspondent Shawkat Milton's hands, writes Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) 
on 25 November.

Mr Shawkat, a correspondent from the Bengali-language newspaper Janakantha, 
in the city of Patuakhali, is said to be one of many who have been threatened.

According to the report, since 23 November BNP activists have continued to 
burn hundreds of copies of the newspaper to prevent it from being distributed.

Mr Milton is reported to have been the target of physical violence on 
several occasions and RSF say they are very concerned for his safety.

"The activists also publicly burned an effigy of Milton and threatened to 
'cut off his hands.' Milton has effectively been banned from the city," 
writes RSF.

Distribution of the newspaper was previously banned in 1999 by former 
ruling party officials of the Awami League (now the opposition party). At 
the time the newspaper had published reports of illegal activities of Awami 
League members, reports RSF.

Tanzanian newspaper suspended

The government of Zanzibar suspended the weekly Dira newspaper, published 
by the International Media Company (ZIMCO), reports the Media Institute of 
Southern Africa (MISA).

According to a report by MISA on 1 December, the Minister of State, Mr 
Salum Juma Othman, said the suspension was ordered because the paper had 
violated professional ethics.

The minister said the paper had allegedly shown misconduct in seven issues 
of Dira and had received three separate warnings.

MISA reports say the Minister told ZIMCO not to publish, circulate or 
republish any previous issue of the paper in Tanzania until further notice.

ZIMCO management reportedly told MISA it respects the government 
suspension, but it does not agree with the decision and plans to seek a 
temporary injunction against the Minister's order.

MISA has issued a statement saying the suspension is a violation of press 
freedom.

Photojournalist assaulted by police in PNG

Witnesses say police assaulted photojournalist Ekar Keapu of the newspaper 
The National, in Papua New Guinea on 28 November.

According to local reports, Mr Keapu was attacked outside Gorden Market in 
Port Moresby in a confrontation between police and a group of vendors.

Witnesses claim police hit Mr Keapu in the face, confiscated his camera and 
smashed it on the bitumen, reports The National.

According to the report, Yehiura Hriehwazi, editor of The National, 
condemned the police action and he is expected to launch a lawsuit against 
the policemen involved. He has also demanded that police compensate the 
newspaper for the cost of the camera.

Rwandan journalists convicted for "inciting hate"

Two Rwandan media executives were sentenced to life in prison and a third 
received a 35- year sentence for their involvement in the 1994 genocide, 
reports BBC News Online.

According to the report, a private radio station called Radio Television 
Livre des Mille Collines, told ethnic Hutus to kill Tutsi people, saying, 
"exterminate the cockroaches" and broadcasting lists of where Tutsi people 
could be found.

Ferdinand Nahimana, set up the radio station and Hassan Ngeze, editor of 
Hutu extremist magazine called Kangura were sentenced to life, and 
Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, who helped set up the radio station, is facing a 
35-year sentence.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicted all three for 
using the media to incite violence, reports BBC News Online.

In 1994 more than 800,000 Tutsis and "moderate" Hutus were killed in 100-days.

AFRICA


MISA refutes statement from the Botswana President's office

The chief executive of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) in 
Botswana accused the president's office of deliberately spinning facts, 
reports MISA.

According to the report, Mr Modise Maphanyane, the chief executive of 
MISA-Botswana wrote a press statement saying the president's office of 
issuing biased information.

Local reports published on 20 November said the Office of the President 
issued a statement saying MISA had agreed to the transfer of the Department 
of Information and Broadcasting to the Ministry of Communications Science 
and Technology.

"We never agreed to that and have always advocated that the Department of 
Information should be a public broadcaster with an independent board that 
shall not be influenced by any party," Mr Maphanyane was quoted by MISA.

Tensions flared after MISA's headquarters posted a denial on the website 
www.freemedia.com

A spokesperson at the president's office has denied spinning any facts.

Lawyer instructs police to drop charges against journalist in Malawi

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in Malawi has instructed police to 
drop a case against a Daily Times journalist, reports the Media Institute 
of Southern Africa's Malawi section (MISA) on 28 October.

Reporter Frank Namangale had been charged with "breach of public peace" for 
an article he wrote that appeared in the paper in September. The article 
quoted police sources who said President Bakili Muluzi's son had been 
involved in an armed robbery, reports MISA.

According to the report, police detained Namangale then released him a few 
hours later. Shortly after, the police issued a statement saying it was the 
president's nephew who had been involved in the robbery and not his son.

In a local interview, DPP Director Fahad Assani, said Namangale did not 
have to reply to the charge since mention of the name "Muluzi" in an 
article does not suggest the accused was an immediate relative of the 
president.

The DPP said the story the reporter wrote was credible, the only error 
being that it made reference to Muluzi's son when it should, in fact, have 
made reference to his nephew.

MISA-Malawi reports say Assani's decision is "significant in the struggle 
for media freedom" and MISA encourages other government officials to follow 
Mr Assani's example.

National journalists restricted from polling stations in Mozambique

Accredited journalists from Maputo in Mozambique were hindered from 
visiting local polling stations during elections in Beira, reports Agencia 
de Informacao on 20 November.

Journalists from Maputo were accredited by the National Elections 
Commission (CNE), however the provincial commission, Sofala Provincial 
Elections Commission (CPE), said their accreditation was invalid because it 
was not issued locally, reports Mediafax.

According to the report, the CPE demanded a photocopy of the journalist's 
identity card and their accreditation badge before they would grant them 
local permission to cover the polling stations.

"By hindering the work of the journalists who travelled from Maputo the CPE 
broke both the electoral law and the 1991 press law," reports Agencia de 
Informacao.



Press freedom groups concerned about confidentiality of sources in South Africa

International press freedom organisations express concerned over a 
journalist who was asked to reveal her sources at a Bloemfontein High Court.

On 14 November, the International Press Institute (IPI) announced its 
"disappointment" over the decision, which goes against journalist's right 
to keep their sources confidential.

According to information provided to IPI, on 11 November Judge President 
J.P. Malherbe of the Bloemfontein High Court upheld the ruling of Judge 
Joos Hefer that Ranjeni Munusamy must testify before the Hefer Commission.

The IPI also expressed concern that this decision could potentially set a 
precedence allowing courts to summon other journalists and ask them to 
reveal their sources.

"The court's decision places the Hefer Commission in the somewhat curious 
position of denying the existence of a journalist's right of 
confidentiality while in the same breath seeking to take advantage of it," 
reports IPI.

IPI reports say the decision will affect the personal safety of 
journalists, specifically those reporting issues such as corruption.

Zimbabwe editor compares Mugabe to Ian Smith

Sam Nkomo, chief executive officer of The Daily News in Zimbabwe, drew 
parallels between President Mugabe's regime and Ian Smith's government 
during the Rhodesian War of the 1970s and 80s when the country was in deep 
civil unrest, reports the CPU on 6 November.

"All of it reminds me of the time of Ian Smith&I did not believe that in my 
lifetime I would see the government that fought for freedom turn against 
me," he said at a meeting and press conference held in London.

Sam Nkomo, with Bill Saidi, editor of The Daily News on Sunday and 
Gugulethu Moyo, the legal advisor of Associated Newspapers Zimbabwe, 
visited London to raise international awareness about The Daily News, which 
remains closed since police raided it on 12 September.

Approximately 70 people including former Zimbabweans, UK politicians, 
lawyers and international press attended the meeting chaired by Kate Hoey 
MP, held at Portcullis House across from the UK Houses of Parliament.

While in London, the editors visited the Commonwealth Secretary General and 
were interviewed by various international media including The Sunday Times, 
BBC World, BBC TV, Radio New Zealand, CNN, Newsweek Magazine and Time Magazine.

Photojournalist attacked at demonstration in Harare

A photojournalist was severely beaten and injured by police officers in 
Harare, reports the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) on 18 November.

Mr Shadreck Pongo, of The Standard newspaper in Harare, told MISA that he 
was covering a demonstration organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade 
Unions (ZCTU) when he was pulled into a police truck by riot police and 
assaulted with batons.

According to the report, Mr Pongo said police seized and destroyed his 
camera then threw him out of the truck. He was then rushed to Avenues Hospital.

Police spokesperson and assistant police commissioner, Wayne Bvudzijena, 
told MISA that it is "difficult for the police to distinguish between 
journalists and demonstrators."

Some of the journalists claimed to have displayed their accreditation cards 
but were beaten up, MISA reports.

Seven people including Andrew Moyse, director of the Media Monitoring 
Project of Zimbabwe, were arrested at the demonstration.

Judge quits ANZ's case

The judge who was expected to hear the an application by Associated 
Newspapers of Zimbabwe this week has quit the case, reports ZIMNews, an 
independent online news source.

Administrative court judge, Michael Majuru, quit the case after a report in 
the state-run Herald newspaper alleged he had told a friend that he would 
rule in favour of the Daily News because he is considered to be "a staunch 
critic of President Robert Mugabe", reports ZIMNews.

ANZ, the company that publishes The Daily News and Daily News on Sunday, 
has applied to the court asking that The Daily News be allowed to reopen 
while it's supreme court case is pending.

"I think it's only prudent and fair in the interest of justice that I 
recuse myself in this matter," he told the administrative court, reports 
ZIMNews.

A new judge will now be assigned to the case and need to be briefed on the 
specifics of the case.

The Daily News, Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper, has remained 
closed since 12 September when police raided its offices because it was 
operating without a licence from the Media and Information Commission (MIC).

The ANZ newspaper group has been involved in a Zimbabwe Supreme Court legal 
challenge against a controversial media law passed by the government 
ordering all newspapers to register to the MIC.

CORRECTION: In the November issue of the Commonwealth Press Freedom Review, 
Sam Nkomo was incorrectly referred to as the editor of The Daily News in 
Zimbabwe. Sam Nkomo is the CEO of Associated Newspapers Zimbabwe. The 
editor of The Daily News is Noqobile Nyathi. The CPU apologises for this error.

ASIA

Journalists attacked in Bangladesh

Five journalists were targeted in a bomb attack in Feni, south-eastern 
Bangladesh on 10 November, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

According to the report, police say they suspect that assailants targeted 
Mr Bakhtiar Islam Munna, the local Feni correspondent for the daily Ittefaq 
and the wire service United News of Bangladesh (UNB).

Mr Munna is scheduled to testify in a case involving journalist Tipu 
Sultan, who was assaulted three years ago, reports CPJ.

Those who witnessed the bomb include Bakhtiar Islam Munna, Osman Harun 
Mahmud Dulad, a correspondent for the daily Janakantha; Shahjalal Ratan, a 
reporter for the daily Jugantor; Muhammed Jalal Uddin, a reporter for the 
daily Manabzamin; and Asaduzzaman Dara, a correspondent for the daily 
Bhorer Kagoj.

According to CPJ, the journalists were standing on the street talking on 
the evening of 10 November when the assailants threw a homemade bomb at 
them and fled the scene.

None of the journalists were injured, though the explosion created panic 
among local residents.

Journalist released on bail in Bangladesh

On 10 November, Selim Jahangir, a photojournalist for the national 
Bengali-language daily Janakantha, was released from the Rajshahi Central 
Jail in north-western Bangladesh after being held for 10 days without bail, 
reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

According to local journalists, Mr Jahangir is still charged with 
obstructing an official from his duty and threatening an official's life.

Hewas reportedly arrested on 1 November whilst taking photos at a police 
checkpoint in the Shehab Bazaar in Rajshahi. Magistrate Abdul Majid is said 
to have ordered his arrest after Jahangir refused to stop photographing the 
checkpoint, reports CPJ.

During the arrest, police seized his camera, mobile phone and motorcycle.

Over 51 physical attacks on journalists, a dozen murder attempts, 50 death 
threats, various arrests and prosecutions have been reported in Bangladesh 
in 2003, RSF reports.

Reporters win court ruling in India

The Supreme Court in India has ruled against an order calling for the 
arrest of six journalists from national daily newspaper The Hindu, reports 
BBC News on 10 November.

The state assembly of Tamil Nadu ordered the arrest and 15 day sentence of 
the journalists on Friday 5 November. The order came after articles were 
published criticizing the state Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.

Prior to the Supreme Court decision, waves of public demonstrations were 
held in Delhi and Madras in opposition to the state assembly's decision. 
According to BBC News, over 300 fasting journalists and politicians from 
the opposition stood outside the Press Club in Madras.

"Every institution, be it legislature, media or judiciary, has to respect 
other institutions," BBC News quoted the Supreme Court judge.

The Hindu is one of the most popular newspapers in India and has a 125-year 
history.

Abducted Indian journalist reported dead

The Journalists Union of Assam in India has received reports stating that 
an abducted journalist has been killed. Mr Indra Mohan Hakasam, a local 
correspondent in Goalpara working for an Assamese daily newspaper called 
Amar Assam, was abducted from his home on 24 June 2003, reports 
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Recent reports in local newspapers claim the United Liberation Forces of 
Assam (ULFA), a militant group in India, abducted the reporter and recently 
killed him, reports IFJ.

Mr Hakasam's family have not received any confirmation or death certificate 
from authorities. Hakasam is married and has two young children.

According to IFJ, the Journalists Union of Assam (JUA) held a one-day 
strike at the premises of the Guwahati Press Club on 21 November to 
pressurize authorities to investigate the case.

Sri Lanka Media Minister sacked when country declared a state of emergency

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga suspended parliament and removed 
three key senior ministers - Information Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, 
Defence Minister Tilak Marapana and Interior Minister John Amaratunga - for 
their handling of the peace process, reports BBC News on 4 November.

0n 5 November, a state of emergency was declared and according to reports, 
troops were ordered to guard the state printing press, TV, radio and power 
stations and other "key installations" in Colombo. President Kumaratunga, 
who is Executive President, has wide-ranging powers, ordered the State of 
Emergency.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, who was in Washington to discuss Sri 
Lanka's peace process with US President George Bush, accused the President 
of bringing Sri Lanka "to the verge of anarchy and chaos," reports the BBC 
Online.

Reports say President Kumaratunga has an "uneasy relationship" with the 
government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, who defeated her party 
at elections in December 2001. It has been 22 months since a ceasefire was 
declared in Sri Lanka ending a long civil war.

BBC reports say President Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which is 
the parliamentary opposition, is concerned about the Tigers' proposals for 
a self-governing authority in the northeast of the country.

CANADA & EUROPE


British newspaper executives step down after inquiry

Media tycoon Lord Conrad Black left Hollinger International, the company 
that owns British newspapers The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, 
reports BBC News.

According to the report, the company announced his resignation following an 
internal inquiry. Lord Black plans to officially leave on Friday, 21 
November 2003, however a company spokesperson told BBC News he plans to 
remain as non-executive chairman.

Other members of the board have announced their resignations including 
David Radler, chief operating officer, vice president Mark Kipnis and board 
member Peter Atkinson, reports BBC News.

All of the executives including Lord Black have agreed to pay the company 
back for the full amount and interest by 1 June 2004, reports BBC News.

The Hollinger Company owns the Chicago Sun-Times, the Jerusalem Post, and 
used to own a number of titles in Canada.

According to BBC News, the company had been under scrutiny from 
shareholders due to its "complex corporate structure".

The company announced that it plans to delay its quarterly results, reports 
BBC News.

British academic report says Iraq war coverage was 'sanitized'

Journalists who covered the war in Iraq in "embedded" military units gave a 
"sanitized picture of events", says a report by the Cardiff School of 
Journalism, reports BBC News.

According to the report, which was commissioned by the BBC, concluded that 
"British broadcasting culture made it impossible to show the full horror of 
war".

The research team who prepared the report said embedded journalists "made 
efforts to protect their objectivity, and on key issues, were demonstrably 
able to do so," writes BBC News.

It also suggested that due to British regulations, particularly in 
broadcast, many explicit images of war could not be broadcast and 
journalists "sanitized" their coverage as a result.

The research team concluded that the public wanted "a broader analysis, 
especially in relation to how Iraqi people saw and experienced the 
conflict," reports BBC News.

UK newspaper distributors ban foreign papers

At least eight foreign newspapers were banned from British newsstands on 8 
November for carrying stories with allegations about Prince Charles, 
reports UK newspaper the Sunday Express on 9 November.

David Peach of City News, the company that distributes newspapers in 
London, told the Sunday Express the papers had been "embargoed".

"We've had to destroy them all. That was within an hour of them being in 
the country. They didn't even reach the packing stage," he was quoted in 
the Sunday Express.

According to the report, Mr. Peach said the International Press Network; 
the body that governs distribution of foreign newspapers in Britain ordered 
they be destroyed after a High Court injunction banned UK papers from 
repeating the allegations.

English-language newspapers around the world carried similar allegations in 
Australia, Ireland, USA, and across Europe.

Canadians fundraise to send legal observer to Iran

A Canadian press freedom group has launched a fundraising campaign to send 
an observer to Tehran, Iran to monitor the trial of the man accused of 
killing Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, reports the International 
Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and IJNET.

Zahra Kazemi died on 11 July after suffering a brain haemorrhage due to an 
injury she suffered while covering a demonstration outside of Evin Prison.

An Iranian security agent Mohammed Reza Aghdam Ahmadi is facing charges in 
connection to her death.

The Legal Resources Centre in Montreal, a group with experience in sending 
legal observers abroad, is collaborating with PEN to select the observer 
who will report on the trial.

According to IJNET's report, the trial observer will serve two purposes, 
one, to get more information about what happened to Zahra Kazemi and, 
secondly, to report on whether the trial is conducted according to 
international standards.

PEN Canada say they aim to raise US$16,000 to support the observer for 
three months, reports IJNET.

For more information or to donate visit the PEN Canada website: 
www.pencanada.ca


Five journalists face lengthy prison sentences in Cyprus

Police in Cyprus have arrested five journalists for insulting the army in 
the Turkish region of the country on 3 and 4 November, reports Reporters 
Sans Frontiers (RSF).

According to the report if the journalists are convicted they may face a 
decade long sentence for writing and publishing articles about police 
violence against demonstrators.

The demonstration was held to influence the government to call a referendum 
for the reunification of the island.

Those arrested, including Basharan Duzgun, editor of daily Kibris, an 
Agence France-Presse correspondent, Hasan Hasturer a reporter with Kibris, 
and Hasan Kahvecioglu an editor with daily Ortam, are waiting for a trial 
date and may face sentences of up to 11 years if convicted, reports RSF.

Editor-in-chief Suleyman Erguclu also faces a possible 21-year sentence for 
publishing the articles and editor Mehrnet Davulcu, could be sentenced to 
44 years in prison.

The law also states that the journalists be held in custody for the 
duration of their trials, RSF reports.

PACIFIC

New media laws could force foreign owners to sell in Papua New Guinea

The government in Papua New Guinea says it is considering tightening media 
ownership laws, reports Post-Courier in Port Morsby, Papua New Guinea on 17 
November.

On 14 November Deputy Prime Minister Andrew Baing said he is considering 
passing a law to force foreign-owned media to sell their controlling interests.

"We are thinking of passing a law&this would mean that media companies have 
to have a 51 per cent stake held by PNG (shareholders)," the Post-Courier 
quotes Mr Baing.

According to the report, foreign owners Rupert Murdoch who owns a majority 
of the Post-Courier and Kerry Packer who owns EM-TV, the only television 
station in Papua New Guinea and Malaysian logging giant Rimbunan Hijau 
owner of The National newspaper, would be most affected by a new law.

Mr Baing made the announcement during his speech to 400 guests attending a 
dinner for newspaper The National following various reports on crime and 
corruption, reports the Post-Courier.

INTERNATIONAL

International groups call for investigation into death of editor

International organizations including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have 
called on Iraqi police and US-British coalition forces to set up a 
commission to investigate the death of Ahmed Shawkat, the editor of the 
weekly Bela Etajah in the northern city Mosul, reports RSF.

On 28 October Shawkat was shot dead on the roof of his office in Mosul 
after two men had followed him up to the roof when he went to make a phone 
call, reports Associated Press (AP).

According to AP, Shawkat had received threatening letters weeks before, 
telling him to close down his newspaper after he published a number of 
allegedly controversial articles.

"He felt this journal of ideas was the best way to teach people about 
democracy& [and] recently he had written scathing editorials about Islamic 
terrorism," reports The Guardian on 30 October.

His wife, eight children and six grandchildren survive Ahmad Shawkat, 
reports British daily The Guardian.

Spanish judge releases al-Jazeera reporter on bail

A Spanish judge ordered that al-Jazeera reporter Tayssir Alouni may be 
released on bail on 23 October, reports Associated Press (AP) in Madrid. 
The reporter was arrested last month on charges of terrorism, after being 
accused of being a member of al-Qaida.

According to the report, Judge Baltasar Garzon set bail at $7,000 USD 
(approximately £4,300 British pounds) when his lawyers presented a report 
to the National Court explaining he was having heart trouble.

Spanish police originally arrested Mr Alouni, who holds both Spanish and 
Syrian citizenship, on 5 September at his home near Granada, Spain. AP 
reports say Mr Alouni's name was included in an indictment issued by Judge 
Garzon on 17 September against Osama bin Laden and 34 other terror suspects.

According to the court indictment, Mr Alouni was suspected to be part of an 
al-Qaida cell based in Spain, but was not charged.

Mr Alouni worked as al-Jazeera's Kabul correspondent during the Afghanistan 
war and was one of the only journalists allowed to report in areas under 
tight Taliban control, reports AP.

Journalist in Algeria imprisoned

Journalist Sid Ahmed Semiane has been sentenced to a six-month prison 
sentence for libel, writes Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF).

According to RSF, the Ministry of Defence in Algeria filed complaints 
against Mr Semiane, who previously wrote for daily Le Matin and lives in Paris.

On 4 November, the court sentenced Mr Semaine in absentia along with Le 
Matin's managing editor, Mohamed Benchicou who was fined 100 000 dinars. 
The newspaper itself was fined another 200 000 dinars.

According to RSF, these events occur amid increasing harassment of the 
press and more than twenty independent journalists have been summoned by 
the authorities since September.


Portuguese journalists kidnapped in Iraq

Carlos Raleiras, a Portuguese journalist, was attacked and kidnapped by 
armed men in near the Kuwait border in southern Iraq on 14 November, writes 
Reporters Sans Frontier (RSF).

According to the report, Mr Raleiras works for Portuguese radio station TSF 
and was riding in a convoy of several vehicles on the way to Basra without 
military protection when they were attacked by a group of armed men.

Hours after he was missing, Mr Raleiras reportedly called news agency LUSA 
in Lisbon by and said, "I have been kidnapped. The situation is very 
complicated. I cannot talk. I am using my radio. I have to hang up," 
reports RSF.

Maria Joao Ruela, Portuguese correspondent for television station SIC, was 
wounded in the leg during the attack.

RSF say they have appealed to the British military forces in charge of the 
region to deploy resources to find Mr Raleiras.

Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association suspended

The press group, the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association was 
closed 11 years after its inception, reports BBC News on 12 November.

According to BBC News, the association was threatened with closure weeks 
before when the government claimed it did not have the necessary paper work 
in order to remain in operation.

The association represented Ethiopia's independent journalists who struggle 
to report freely on government related-issues and some see the closure as 
"a blow to press freedom", BBC news reports.

Editor in Niger arrested for publishing confidential documents

Mr. Mamane Abou, editor of Niger's weekly paper Le Républicain, was 
arrested on 5 November and accused of involvement in theft and publishing 
confidential finance ministry documents, reports Reporters Sans Frontiers 
(RSF) on 6 November.

According to the report, the journalist published documents on 15 July 
alleging the finance minister had embezzled several billion CFA francs 
(over ¬1.5 million).

A judge at Niamey court issued a warrant for Mr. Abou's arrest on 5 
November and he was arrested at his office the same day.

A trial date has not yet been set.

Three journalists sentenced in Morocco

Three journalists have been sentenced to prison in Morocco for publishing 
an interview on 20 May with Mohammed al-Abadi, a member of an Islamist 
group, reports Writers in Prison (the British section of PEN International).

According to a report by Reporters Sans Frontier (RSF), on 3 November 
journalists Mustapha Kechnini editor of Al Hayat al Maghribia (Moroccan 
Life) was sentenced for two years, and reporters Abdelaziz Jallouli and 
Miloud Boutriki were sentenced to 18 months in prison by a court in Oujda.

Interviewee, Mohammed al-Abadi, was also sentenced for two years and the 
paper was ordered to close for two months, reports RSF.

Lawyers for the journalists have announced they plan to appeal.

Police seize paper and interrogate journalists in Rwanda

Six journalists were detained from Umuseso, independent weekly newspaper in 
Rwanda, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 19 November.

According to the report, Editor Robert Sebufirira was arrested near the 
Rwanda-Uganda border as he was bringing back 4,000 copies of the newspaper 
from the printers in Uganda.

Five of Mr Sebufirra's colleagues were also detained and questioned when 
they went to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, to look for him at the Criminal 
Investigations Department (CID).

Sebufirira told CPJ that all of the journalists were separated, some were 
beaten and all were interrogated about an article in the newspaper that 
makes reference to senior army officers who had continued training abroad 
though they were being "demobilized".

A police spokesman told CPJ that the article was "aimed at inciting 
sectarian behaviour."

The six journalists were released without charge after being questioned 
about their sources, CPJ reports.

Proposed French law puts journalists at risk

The French government has proposed an amendment to a law that would extend 
the deadline for prosecuting journalists to one year, writes Reporters Sans 
Frontiers (RSF).

According to the report, the amendment would grant increased time to 
prosecute journalists for defamation, insults or undermining the 
presumption of innocence, as part of the proposed "Perben Law" [named after 
justice minister Dominique Perben], which aims to "adapt the legal system 
to the changed crime situation".

RSF is critical of the proposal, calling it "a frontal attack on the rights 
of journalists and a threat to investigative reporting".

"Article 16 of the Perben Law would amend article 65 of the 1881 press law 
so that the automatic three-month extension (during which prosecution must 
begin) of the initial three-month deadline (during which suits must be 
filed) would be extended to a year," writes RSF.

The upper house approved the Perben law on 8 October and the Chamber will 
consider it at second reading on 26 November, reports RSF.

Journalists are under extreme threat in Nepal, say press freedom groups

International press freedom organisations are concerned by the deadly 
violence targeted at journalists in Nepal since the country's pro-Maoist 
Communist Party rebels ended a ceasefire on 27 August, reports RSF.

Recently Binod Sajana Chaudhary, of the weekly Nepalgunj Express, was 
killed in the western district of Kailali on 27 September.

The daily Nepal Samacharpatra quoted rebels as saying plainclothes 
government agents killed him after he showed them his journalist's card, 
however local officials claim he died in an armed clash, reports RSF.

According to RSF, nine journalists are currently detained or missing in 
Nepal and more than a dozen have been arrested and then freed after varying 
periods of detention between August and October 2003.

Since the end of the ceasefire, 42 journalists have been jailed, two have 
been prosecuted, three have disappeared and the security forces have 
tortured five, reports the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ).

Debt forces Israeli news agency to close

Israeli news agency Itim (meaning Israeli News Cooperative) was forced to 
close on 12 November after it was discovered to be $440,000 in debt, 
reports Associated Press (AP) quoting a report by Haaretz newspaper - a 
shareholder of the agency.

According to the report, the Hebrew-language agency released it's last news 
item on the Haaretz web site shortly after a shareholders meeting on 11 
November, who decided it no longer was "financially viable".

Staff arriving for work on 12 November reportedly received dismissal notices.

Itim was founded in 1950 as joint venture by the leading Israeli daily 
newspapers, reports AP.

The agency's main shareholders included Israeli dailies Haaretz, Yediot 
Ahronot, Maariv, Hatzofeh and The Jerusalem Post.


We at the CPU would like to record special thanks to our sources, 
including: CPU Members throughout the Commonwealth

IFEX www.ifex.org
Article XIX www.article19.org
CPJ www.cpj.org
RSF www.rsf.org
FXI http://fxi.org.za MISA www.misa.org
PPF www.oneworld.org/ppf
PINA (pina /at/ is.com.fj)
Pacific Media Watch www.pmw.c2o.org


Editor: Lindsay Ross
Executive Director: (lindsay /at/ cpu.org.uk)
Writers: Kim Latimer - Press Freedom Officer, (kim /at/ cpu.org.uk)
Jemima Giffard-Taylor - Researcher and Writer, (jemina /at/ cpu.org.uk)

Commonwealth Press Union
17 Fleet Street
London EC4Y 1AA
Tel: +44 20 7583 7733
Fax: +44 20 7583 6868
(cpu /at/ cpu.org.uk)


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Carpentier Nico (Phd)
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Katholieke Universiteit Brussel - Catholic University of Brussels
Vrijheidslaan 17 - B-1081 Brussel - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-412.42.78
F: ++ 32 (0)2/412.42.00
Office: 4/0/18
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Free University of Brussels
Centre for Media Sociology (CeMeSO)
Pleinlaan 2 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-629.18.30
F: ++ 32 (0)2-629.28.61
Office: C0.05
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E-mail: (Nico.Carpentier /at/ kubrussel.ac.be)
Web: http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~ncarpent/
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