Index on Censorship » journalist threatened

Venezuela: Armed group accuses Globovisión of hiring paramilitaries to create mayhem

Alice Purkiss — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:40:21 +0000

Venezuelan TV channel Globovisión have been accused of hiring paramilitary men to be involved in armed stand-offs on 10 March, resulting in two deaths. Members of armed group Colectivo La Piedrita went to the offices of Globovisión to accuse the station of hiring paramilitaries to ”promote violence” and blame them for the deaths of two former members of the group. Appearing with the hearses of the deceased group members, Colectivo demanded authorities investigate the deaths. The group also accused “Ultimas Noticias” newspaper of engaging in a “terrorist-media campaign” operating via social networks.

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Syria: Foreign media threatened, journalists missing

Alice Purkiss — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:40:56 +0000

Arab and foreign media who are in Syria “illegally” are being threatened by the information ministry. On 9 March, authorities threatened to take measures against Arab and foreign journalists who have entered the country “illegally” and against anyone cooperating with them. The minister accused journalists of fabricating reports, complicity with terrorists and suggested that covering the activities of those terrorists justified their crimes. Two Turkish journalists, Adem Ozkose, Middle East correspondent for Gercek Hayat magazine and columnist for newspaper Milat, and cameraman Hamit Coskun, who crossed into Syria a week ago, have been missing for four days.

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Liberia: Reporting on genital mutilation draws threats

Alice Purkiss — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:36:47 +0000

A female journalist has been threatened with genital mutilation after exposing the practice in Liberia. Mae Azango, a reporter for the daily newspaper FrontPage Africa and news website New Narratives was forced into hiding after receiving threatening phone-calls, saying “they will catch me and cut me so that will make me shut up”. Azango published an article on Thursday about Liberian tribes practicing female genital mutilation on as many as two out of every three girls in the country. Several people confronted the journalist about the article, and it was widely discussed on radio programmes.

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Azerbaijan: Journalist threatened with blackmail

Alice Purkiss — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:01:30 +0000

An award-winning journalist in Azerbaijan has been threatened with blackmail. Khadija Ismayilova received photographs of an intimate nature with a threatening note saying unless she stops “behaving improperly”, she will be “defamed.” Ismayilova, who has caused public scandal by writing investigative articles exposing corruption among high-ranking Azerbaijani officials and their families, said on Facebook that the threat was not a surprise to her. The journalist has been targeted by pro-government forces in previous incidents.

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Venezuela: Journalist threatened via Twitter

Alice Purkiss — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:41:15 +0000

A Venezuelan journalist has received threatening messages via Twitter. Luis Carlos Díaz, Communication Networks Coordinator of the Gumilla Center, a Jesuit-run research institution, received a number of intimidating direct messages on Twitter. The attackers insisted Díaz was “going to be taught a lesson” for his remarks on previous cyber attacks which took place late last year, his activity on social networks, and “working with priests”. The so-called hacker group N33 are believed to be responsible for these latest threats.

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Honduras: “Journalism for life” demonstrator receives death threats

Alice Purkiss — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:04:03 +0000

An independent journalist and human rights campaigner in Honduras has received several death threats following her involvement in a free expression march last month. Itsmania Pineda Platero was told “We’ll skin you alive, bitch!” in one of four death threats over three days. During one of the calls, there was the sound of a gun being loaded in the background. Platero walked at the forefront of the “Journalism for life and free expression” march on 13 December, which was violently dispersed by soldiers and members of the presidential guard.

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Sudan: Journalist threatened with murder

Alice Purkiss — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:48:30 +0000

A Sudanese editor has received a death threat following the publication of an article critical of the country’s president, Salva Kiir. Dengdit Ayok, vice-editor of the English-speaking newspaper The Destiny, was arrested and detained for two weeks for publishing a news story on the marriage of the president’s daughter to an Ethiopian. The article was deemed unethical by Sudanese authorities, who also said the newspaper continued publishing “isolated topics that should not be published for the public”.

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Eritrea: Journalist publicly threatened for coverage of Dawit Isaak

Alice Purkiss — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:14:56 +0000

A Swedish-based journalist has been threatened by the brother of Dawit Isaak. Following a public forum in Eritrea on the case of Dawit Isaak, a Swedish-Eritrean journalist who has been imprisoned for over a decade without charge, journalist Meron Estefanos was confronted on Friday by Isaak’s brother, Tedros. Tedros Isaak told the journalist if she used his name, or spoke of his family again he would “slit her throat”. Estefanos, a contributor to the leading Eritrean diaspora news site Asmarino, wrote a column in 2010, comparing Tedros Isaak’s support for the government that arrested his brother with the efforts of his other brother to free Dawit.

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Afghanistan: TV presenter forced to apologise to warlords — at gunpoint

Alice Purkiss — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:38:03 +0000

A journalist was forced to apologise to Afghan war lords at gun point. Afghan-American journalist Nabil Miskinyar claims he was picked up for lunch on 12 September by four men, including Najibullah Kabuli, owner of the private Emrooz Television channel. Miskinyar says he was forced to conduct an interview with two guns pointed at him. The journalist, known for his hard-hitting monologues, was told he and his family would be killed if he did not apologise. Miskinyar said in the interview “if I did not say the right things, or if I have attributed false things to these leaders of the resistance, then I apologise to the Afghan people.’”

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