Committee to Protect Journalists - Americas

Mexican crime reporter vanishes in western Michoacán

2009-11-20T19:20:29Z

New York, November 20, 2009—A Mexican reporter who had recently covered corruption and organized crime was reported missing this week in the western state of Michoacán, according to local news reports. María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe, at left, was last seen on November 11 near her home in Zamora. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on state and federal authorities to do everything in their power to immediately bring her to safety.

Mexican court did not call for release of Brad Will suspect

2009-11-11T19:30:04Z

New York, November 11, 2009—A court in Oaxaca has not ordered the release of Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno, who was charged last year for the 2006 killing of U.S. journalist Bradley Roland Will, contrary to initial news reports in the Mexican press.

Obama should press Chinese for release of jailed journalists

2009-11-10T21:53:54Z

Dear President Obama: We are heartened by news reports that you plan to talk to Chinese leaders about human rights and related issues when you visit the country next week. On World Press Freedom Day in May, you specifically raised the cases of two of China’s jailed journalists—Shi Tao, imprisoned for allegedly “leaking state secrets,” and Hu Jia, behind bars for alleged “incitement to subvert state power.” Both men remain jailed, and we ask that you now press for their immediate release.

CPJ rejects Iran espionage charges against American hikers

2009-11-09T21:24:23Z

New York, November 9, 2009—Three American hikers who inadvertently crossed the border into Iran on July 31 are facing chargers of espionage, according to a report from the state news agency IRNA.

Mexican crime reporter abducted, slain in Durango

2009-11-03T20:26:30Z

New York, November 3, 2009—Crime reporter Bladimir Antuna García was found murdered Monday night, according local news reports, after reportedly being abducted from a street in the Mexican city of Durango that morning. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Mexican authorities to show their commitment to press freedom and the protection of Mexican journalists by immediately bringing all those responsible to justice.

CNN’S Lou Dobbs threatened; shot fired at home

2009-11-02T18:00:36Z

On October 26, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs announced on the air that a shot had been fired at his home while his wife and her driver were standing outside in the driveway. Dobbs made the announcement on CNN and his syndicated radio program, saying the gunshot struck his home about three weeks earlier as his wife was standing outside. He said on the broadcasts that he had long received threatening phone calls, but noted that he had decided not to report the calls to police.

Radio host flees Colombia following alleged plot to kill him

2009-10-13T20:54:25Z

New York, October 13, 2009—Prominent radio journalist Herbin Hoyos Medina left Colombia on Monday after authorities uncovered a supposed plot to kill him, according to local news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the threats against Hoyos and urges authorities to continue to provide protection and ensure that the journalist can return to Colombia and work without fear of reprisal.

Critical Venezuelan journalist arrested on contempt of court

2009-10-06T14:35:48Z

Venezuelan Judge Fanny Yasmina Becerra ordered the arrest of journalist Gustavo Azócar on July 29, 2009, stating that he violated the conditions of his 2006 parole on charges of illegal acquisition of wealth and fraud by publicly commenting on his case. Táchira state authorities took Azócar into custody at 10:30 p.m., and drove him to a local prison, according to local news reports.

CPJ receives Dodd human rights prize

2009-10-05T13:40:25Z

New York, October 5, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists was honored today with the fourth biennial Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights. The $75,000 prize is given "to an individual or group who has made a significant effort to advance the cause of international justice and global human rights." CPJ was selected for the prize by a committee representing the University of Connecticut, the advisory board of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, and representatives of the human rights community.

U.S. reporter faces 'insult' suit in Brazil air crash aftermath

2009-09-29T19:42:43Z

New York, September 29, 2009—U.S. freelance journalist Joe Sharkey, who covered a 2006 plane crash in Brazil in which he was a passenger, faces an onerous civil defamation suit for comments he said were wrongly attributed to him. On the third anniversary of the accident, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Brazilian judicial authorities to dismiss the case, which is based on the tenuous claim that the comments insulted the nation of Brazil.

Honduras must allow pro-Zelaya broadcasters to reopen

2009-09-28T19:19:33Z

New York, September 28, 2009—The interim government of Honduras must immediately allow two private broadcasters loyal to ousted President Manuel Zelaya to return to the air, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Officials, acting under a new decree that suspends civil liberties, shut down Radio Globo and Canal 36 television early today, according to local and international news reports.

Mexican journalist killed inside newsroom in Chihuahua

2009-09-25T17:31:23Z

New York, September 25, 2009—Mexico must put an end to the pattern of impunity in journalists’ murders by prosecuting all those responsible for Wednesday’s brutal killing of Norberto Miranda Madrid, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Miranda, a harsh critic of local crime, was shot to death in his office in Nuevo Casas Grandes in northern Chihuahua State, according to local authorities.

Veteran TV reporter shot dead in central Colombia

2009-09-24T17:47:32Z

New York, September 24, 2009—Veteran television journalist Diego de Jesús Rojas Velásquez was gunned down Tuesday outside the central Colombian city of Supía, according to interviews and press reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Colombian authorities to thoroughly investigate the killing.

CPJ tells Clinton of threats to women journalists in Congo

2009-09-15T20:20:18Z

Dear Secretary Clinton: In light of your recent advocacy on behalf of Congolese women during your visit to Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we are writing to bring to your attention our deep concerns about the safety of three reporters covering women’s issues in Bukavu, south of Goma.

CPJ seeks comprehensive inquiry in Clarín tax raid

2009-09-11T19:08:11Z

New York, September 11, 2009—Two hundred tax agents raided the offices of Argentina’s largest daily, Clarín, on Wednesday after the paper ran a cover story alleging that a government agency improperly granted a farm subsidy, the local press said. The action, which Clarín decried as government intimidation, has intensified a fierce debate between President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration and Argentina’s largest media conglomerate over a proposed overhaul of broadcasting laws.