Americas
2006
CPJ urges president to reform archaic press laws
Your Excellency: We are writing to ask you to use the authority of your office to reform Costa Rica’s archaic defamation laws, which are incompatible with international standards of freedom of expression and rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
CPJ concerned about deteriorating health of two Cuban journalists
New York, June 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today at the worsening health of two independent Cuban journalists. Guillermo Fariñas, who has refused food for four months to protest government restrictions on Internet access, was still unconscious five days after emergency surgery to remove fluid from his left lung, his mother told…
Courts grant injunctions against two newspapers
New York, June 2, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that courts in Brazil have issued gag orders on two newspapers for their critical reporting on politicians in the run-up to a general election in October. On May 8, the Civil Court in Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul state, granted an…
Chilean journalists injured, detained during student strike
New York, May 31, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Tuesday’s attacks by local police against six Chilean reporters covering clashes between security forces and high school students during a massive strike demanding reforms in Chile’s education laws. Nearly 600,000 high school students protested in Chile’s capital, Santiago, calling for a reduction in public transportation…
Reporter jailed in Cuba after covering government evictions
New York, May 30, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of independent Cuban journalist Armando Betancourt who was arrested a week ago while covering the evictions of dozens of families from their homes in the central city of Camagüey, sources told CPJ. On May 23, authorities forcefully evicted families allegedly occupying homes illegally,…
State legislature calls for eviction of critical newspaper
New York, May 25, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that a request by a Venezuelan state assembly to evict the daily Correo del Caroní from its premises in a zoning dispute is an attempt to silence the newspaper’s critical reporting on local government corruption. The Bolívar state legislature said in a May 19…
Hackers obtain journalists’ e-mail exchanges with sources
New York, May 23, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by reports that unidentified hackers have broken into the e-mail accounts of several prominent journalists and distributed their private conversations with sources, including public officials, to the reporters’ contacts. On May 11, Daniel Santoro, a senior investigative reporter with Argentina’s largest daily Clarín, reported…
Four journalists held during indigenous protest released
New York, May 22, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of four Colombian journalists who were detained on May 17 while covering indigenous protests against a free trade pact with the United States in Cauca province. Two days after the arrest, police released Richard Calpa, director of the radio station La Libertad in…
Newspaper attacked in the wake of crime wave
New York, May 19, 2006 The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an arson attack on the Brazilian newspaper Imprensa Livre in São Sebastião, which had covered nearly a week of fighting between criminal gangs and police in the nearby city of São Paulo, according to national and international press reports.
Four journalists arrested while covering protests
New York, May 18, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities today to release four journalists who were arrested yesterday in the southwestern province of Cauca while covering protests by indigenous Colombians against a free trade pact with the United States. Farmers and indigenous organizations have been demonstrating since Tuesday in the town of…