Alerts

Nueva York, 17 de abril de 2002 --- Luego del fallido golpe de estado de la semana pasada contra el presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez Frías, partidarios de Chávez hostigaron a varios medios de comunicación, según conoció el Comité para la Protección de los Periodistas (CPJ, por sus siglas en inglés).

El jueves, poco antes de ser derrocado, Chávez había acusado a los medios de radio y televisión locales de conspirar contra su gobierno.

New York, April 17, 2002—In a letter sent today to Serbian National Assembly president Natasa Micic, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed strong support for Parliament's efforts to safeguard press freedom in Serbia.

CPJ believes that by passing the draft Broadcasting Law, currently under consideration, Parliament can create an effective legal framework for the broadcast media and thereby make a crucial contribution to the democratization of Serbian society.

New York, April 17, 2002—In the aftermath of last week's failed coup against President Hugo Chávez Frías, Chávez supporters harassed several Venezuelan media outlets, CPJ has learned.

On Thursday, just before his ouster, Chávez had accused local broadcasters of conspiring to overthrow his government.

At around 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, when President Chávez was still in the custody of the military officers who briefly forced him out of office, his supporters surrounded the offices of the private television channels Radio Caracas Televisión, Globovisión, and Venevisión.

New York, April 16, 2002—CPJ is deeply concerned for the safety of Associated Press (AP) reporter Mohamed Daraghmeh, who was detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Nablus today.

Israeli troops took Daraghmeh and several other Palestinian men from his building early this morning during an army sweep of the neighborhood.

Dan Perry, AP bureau chief in Jerusalem and head of Israel's Foreign Press Association, told CPJ that Israeli authorities have refused to divulge Daraghmeh's current location. And while the authorities agreed to expedite Daraghmeh's release, the journalist was still in detention as of late this afternoon.

Bogotá, April 15, 2002—A rocket exploded late Friday, April 12, near the studios of RCN Televisión in the Colombian capital, CPJ has learned. Local authorities said the station was intentionally targeted.

The blast destroyed a brick wall surrounding the offices of a telephone company located less than 40 feet from the station in an industrial neighborhood in south Bogotá, said Sgt. Alberto Cantillo, a spokesman for the city's police department.

New York, April 12, 2002—Two members of a television news crew were shot and killed while covering fighting on Thursday between the Colombian army and leftist rebels, CPJ has learned.

Héctor Sandoval, a cameraman with RCN Televisión, died early today. Wálter López, the crew's driver, died on Thursday, said Rocío Arias, executive producer of RCN Televisión news.

"We are outraged by the deaths of Héctor Sandoval and his colleague Wálter López," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "We urge the government to do its utmost to protect journalists who are covering this crucial story."

New York, April 12, 2002—Two journalists have been injured in separate attacks in Siberia and southern Russia, according to international reports.

Yan Svider, a journalist with the opposition newspaper Vozrozhdeniye Respubliki, was attacked today by two unknown assailants in the city of Cherkessk in the southern Karachaevo-Cherkessiya Republic, according to local and international news reports.

Svider was attacked in the entranceway of his apartment building when he was on his way to work. The region's deputy prosecutor told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the assailants beat the 55-year-old journalist with metal rods. He was hospitalized for a head injury and broken arms and legs.

New York, April 12, 2002—Venezuelan journalist Jorge Tortoza died last night after being shot in the head while covering the violent clashes in the capital, Caracas, that forced Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frías to resign this morning, CPJ has confirmed.

Eurídice Ledezma, a Venezuelan journalist and political analyst, told CPJ that Tortoza was shot by a military sniper she saw firing from the roof of City Hall in downtown Caracas.