Americas

2019

  
Journalist Luz Escobar has been repeatedly barred from leaving her home in Havana by security agents standing in her doorway. (Photo via Luz Escobar)

Cuban journalist Luz Escobar repeatedly barred from leaving her home

Miami, December 12, 2019 — Cuban authorities should stop barring journalist Luz Escobar from leaving her home, and cease harassing independent journalists in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The destroyed antenna of Brazilian local broadcaster Aliança FM is seen in Choró, Ceará state. Police are investigating the attack on the antenna. (Image via Marcolino Borges)

Brazilian radio station antenna destroyed in arson attack

Rio de Janeiro, December 12, 2019 — Brazilian authorities must thoroughly investigate the arson attack against broadcaster radio Aliança FM and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A June 5, 2019, photo shows a "media interview area" for reporters set up near the Idkah mosque on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, when Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan, in Kashgar, in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. China was the world’s leading jailer of journalists in 2019, with at least 48 in prison. (AFP/Greg Baker)

China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt are world’s worst jailers of journalists

For the fourth consecutive year, at least 250 journalists are imprisoned globally as authoritarians like Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi show no signs of letting up on the critical media. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

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A demonstrator dressed as a whistle protests outside of a London court holding a hearing on the U.S. extradition case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in October 2019. (Reuters/Henry Nicholls)

For the sake of press freedom, Julian Assange must be defended

Nine years ago this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists took a stand on one of the most polarizing figures in journalism. We wrote President Barack Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, urging them not to prosecute Julian Assange.

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An inmate is seen in a prison in Porto Velho, Rondônia state, Brazil, on August 28, 2015. A Rondônia court recently sentenced two journalists to suspended jail terms for defamation. (Reuters/Nacho Doce)

Brazilian electoral court sentences 2 journalists to suspended jail time for defamation

On November 21, 2019, Brazilian regional news website Planeta Folha published a report uncovering a previously unreported criminal defamation lawsuit against journalists Donizete Bernardo dos Santos and Josias Brito da Silva.

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A soldier patrols the shores of Puerto Cortes, in the Honduran Caribbean, in the lead up to a hurricane in August 2016. Gunmen killed the TV host of a show on Puerto Visión, in the Honduran city, on November 25, 2019. (AFP/Orlando Sierra)

Honduran TV host José Arita shot dead in Puerto Cortés

Amsterdam, November 27, 2019— The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of TV host José Arita in northern Honduras, and urged authorities to conduct a credible and exhaustive investigation into the killing and bring those responsible to justice.

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Police are seen in Santiago, Chile, on November 6, 2019. Police are investigating the recent killing of journalist Albertina Martínez Burgos in Santiago. (Reuters/Jorge Silva)

Chilean journalist Albertina Martínez Burgos found dead in Santiago

Miami, November 26, 2019 — Chilean authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Albertina Martínez Burgos, determine if the attack was related to her work, and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Freelance journalist Bryan Carmody, left, is seen with his attorney, Thomas Burke, at a panel event held by the Society of Professional Journalists in San Francisco on August 13, 2019. Police raided Carmody's home and office in May while investigating the leak of a report on the death of a San Francisco public defender. (AP/Juliet Williams)

Carmody case shows grave police overreach, say lawyers

Bryan Carmody, a breaking news stringer who frequently worked the police beat in San Francisco, woke on May 10 to the sound of a sledgehammer at the metal gate securing his front door. Law enforcement agents investigating the leak of internal police documents were attempting to discover his source, CPJ reported at the time.

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is seen in Brasilia on November 12, 2019. On November 8, Bolsonaro enacted a "slanderous denunciation" law under Brazil's electoral code. (Reuters/Adriano Machado)

Brazilian electoral law criminalizes sharing allegations against politicians

Rio de Janeiro, November 14, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a law enacted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that criminalizes slander under the electoral code.

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CPJ, RSF call on Haitian authorities to investigate attacks on journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders urge Haitian authorities to take steps necessary to guarantee independent and comprehensive investigations into all cases of violence against journalists, and communicate the results to the public in a timely manner.

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2019