Attacks on the Press - Committee to Protect Journalists

attacks on the press in 2009journalists in prison: yementional daily El Universal in the westerncity of San Cristóbal, and author ofthe blog Gustavoazocar—was accusedof irregularities in the assignment of a2000 advertising contract. An outspokencritic of President Hugo Chávez,he was jailed in 2009 after postinginformation about the long-runningcase on his blog.In March 2006, a state prosecutorin western Táchira ordered Azócar’sarrest for allegedly failing to appearbefore a local court. He was released10 days later and allowed to continueto work, but was not allowed to leavethe country or speak publicly aboutthe legal proceedings against him. OnJuly 29, 2009, however, a local judgeissued an arrest warrant for him, statingthat the journalist violated thoseconditions by republishing news reportsabout the case on his blog.The first trial judge, Fanny YasminaBecerra, was taken off the case withoutexplanation in August. Becerra, whohad overseen the case since May, wasabout to hear the trial’s final witnesswhen the change was made, Azócartold CPJ. A new judge, José Oliveros,was assigned to the case on September16. Oliveros announced he wouldbegin a new trial and reaffirmed thedecision to hold the journalist in custodythroughout the proceedings.Azócar was being held in the CentralPenitentiary of the West in AndeanTáchira province. He said he was ingood health, and told CPJ that prisonauthorities and other prisoners weretreating him well. According to Azócar,two local journalists were in charge ofhis TV program while he was jailedand a handful of local journalism studentskept up his blog.VIETNAM: 1Nguyen Van Hai (Nguyen Hoang Hai)Dieu CayIMPRISONED: April 19, 2008Hai was arrested and held withoutcharge for five months, according tonews reports. A closed court convictedhim of tax evasion on September10, 2008.Hai, who also goes by the nameNguyen Hoang Hai, was an outspokencommentator on his politicalblog Dieu Cay (The Peasant’s Pipe).He was sentenced to two and a halfyears in prison for failing to pay 10years of taxes on the part of a buildinghe had rented to an optical shop.International news reports quoted hislawyer as saying the taxes should havebeen paid by the tenant, according tothe rental agreement.Several of Hai’s blog entries hadtouched on politically sensitive issues.He had reported on nationalprotests against China, which disputesVietnam’s claim to sovereigntyover the nearby Spratly and Paracelislands. He also called for demonstrationsagainst the Beijing Olympictorch relay, which was to passthrough Ho Chi Minh City, accordingto the Web site of Viet Tan, anexiled pro-democracy organization.In April 2009, Hai was transferredto the southern Cai Tau Prison, severalhours from his home in Ho ChiMinh City, and was denied family visits,according to Viet Tan and internationalhuman rights groups.YEMEN: 2Fuad Rashid, Mukalla PressIMPRISONED: May 4, 2009Security forces arrested Rashid, editor-in-chiefof Mukalla Press, duringa raid in Al-Mukalla in the provinceof Hadhramaut, the news site reported.Authorities did not disclosethe basis for the detention.The site had extensively coveredclashes between security forces anddisaffected residents of the south ofthe country. The Sana’a-based governmentsought throughout the yearto restrict coverage of tensions in thesouth, where demonstrators protestedpolicies they saw as marginalizing theregion and denying it public services.Salah al-Saqldi, Gulf AdenIMPRISONED: June 18, 2009Al-Saqldi, editor-in-chief of the GulfAden news Web site was arrested bysecurity forces during a raid at hishome in Khour Maksar in Aden province,according to local news reports.Security forces confiscated his laptopand camera.Gulf Aden had intensively coveredclashes between security forces anddisaffected residents of the south ofthe country. The Sana’a-based governmentsought throughout the yearto restrict coverage of tensions in thesouth, where demonstrators protestedpolicies they saw as marginalizing theregion and denying it public services.Aleshteraki, an opposition news Website, reported in June that al-Saqldiwas being held in the security servicesprison in Sana’a. No formal chargeshad been disclosed by late year.344345