Americas

2009

  

Mexico should federalize crimes against free expression

New York, April 6, 2009–The Mexican Congress must move expeditiously to approve a constitutional reform granting federal authorities jurisdiction over crimes against free expression, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, approved a measure last week imposing penalties for crimes against “journalistic activity,” an encouraging but still preliminary…

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Frank Smyth on House press bills

CPJ Washington Representative Frank Smyth had a posting on The Hill Blog on April 3 about the House’s passing of a “shield bill” to protect reporters from revealing their sources, and another bill, the “Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act,” named after the late Wall Street Journal reporter. Read Smyth’s post here.

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TV reporter gunned down, cameraman injured in Guatemala

New York, April 2, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Guatemalan authorities today to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the shooting of a two-man TV crew in Guatemala City on Wednesday. Unidentified gunmen killed veteran reporter Rolando Santiz and injured cameraman Antonio de León. 

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CPJ

Mission Journal: Lost in Managua

There are few street names and no addresses in Managua, a famously disorganized city whose downtown was destroyed in a 1972 earthquake and never rebuilt.  To find a house, office, or government building you need directions which are only intelligible to locals. Here are couple of examples:

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Radio journalist killed in Honduras

New York, April 1, 2009–Gunmen shot and killed Honduran radio journalist Rafael Munguía Ortiz Tuesday night in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, according to local news reports. Honduran authorities must conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into Munguía’s killing and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

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North Korea must explain detention of journalists

We issued this statement today after North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency announced that two American news reporters, Current TV’s Laura Ling and Euna Lee, will be tried for alleged illegal entry into North Korea and hostile acts …  

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Uribe, courts hold critical journalists in contempt

Daniel Coronell’s name didn’t come up in a hearing this week on Capitol Hill, even though CPJ had just learned that a Colombian court had ordered the arrest of the respected Canal Uno TV reporter and Semana magazine columnist over his work. Coronell is one of many journalists and human rights monitors who’ve lately been…

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Colombian court issues arrest warrant for Daniel Coronell

New York, March 25, 2009–A court in Colombia has issued an arrest warrant for prominent journalist Daniel Coronell for contempt of court after he failed to correct for a second time a story linking a local businessman to drug trafficking, the Committee to Protect Journalists learned today. CPJ calls on the judge to withdraw the…

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Former police officer arrested in Venezuelan murder

On February13, 2009, Venezuelan authorities arrested Rafael Segundo Pérez, a former sergeant for the Carabobo police, in connection to the January 16 killing of journalist Orel Sambrano, according to local news reports. Pérez is accused of working as a hired assassin and conspiring to commit a crime.

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Critical Ecuadoran journalist and his family threatened

On March 13, 2009, Ecuadoran journalist Emilio Palacio told local reporters that he had received threats against himself and his family following a March 1 article criticizing President Rafael Correa’s weekly radio address. 

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2009