Americas

2020

  

Colombian TV station employees flee country amid threats from FARC militants

Bogotá, Colombia, December 7, 2020 – Colombian authorities should thoroughly investigate death threats received by Caracol TV employees and ensure they can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 16, Arlex Piedrahita, a camera operator with the news broadcaster Caracol TV, fled to the United States with his family after he…

Read More ›

‘The Cartel Project’ investigates crimes against reporters in Mexico

Forbidden Stories—a network of journalists whose mission is to continue the work of reporters who are threatened, censored, or killed—yesterday published a new investigation into the murder of Mexican journalist Regina Martínez. The report, part of five-part series about the killings of reporters in Mexico, lays bare serious flaws in the investigation in a context…

Read More ›

Guatemalan journalist Jovanna García attacked while covering anti-government protest

Los Angeles, December 4, 2020 – Guatemalan authorities should ensure journalists’ safety while covering protests and investigate attacks on the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 28, a man participating in an anti-government demonstration in Guatemala City hit Jovanna García, a journalist with the online outlet Ruda, with an iron pole in…

Read More ›

Venezuelan journalist Jamel Louka shot, injured in attack

Bogotá, Colombia, December 4, 2020 – Venezuelan authorities should immediately investigate the shooting attack against journalist Jamel Louka and ensure the safety of Louka and his family, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 2 in the town of Altagracia de Orituco in central Guárico state, armed assailants shot Louka, a reporter and photographer…

Read More ›

Cuban authorities harass journalists, block social media amid protests

Miami, November 30, 2020 – Cuban authorities should stop harassing journalists and allow all citizens to access the internet without restriction, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since November 26, amid protests following the arrest of artist Denis Solís of the San Isidro Movement, a local freedom of expression and artistic freedom group, Cuban…

Read More ›

Ecuadorian journalist Juán Sarmiento sentenced to prison for ‘discrediting’ local official

Bogotá, November 20, 2020 – Ecuadorian authorities should not contest journalist Juan Sarmiento’s appeal of a recent criminal conviction for critical comments about a local politician, and the country should remove speech laws from its penal code, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 12, the Justice Court of Napo, in central Ecuador,…

Read More ›

Judge orders Colombian outlet Semana TV to remove content, orders investigation

On September 28, 2020, a Colombian judge ordered online broadcaster Semana TV to take down an episode of one of its news programs, and ordered an investigation into how two of the station’s journalists obtained confidential information aired in that episode, according to news reports. The court order, which was made public on October 6…

Read More ›

Brazilian journalist assaulted and threatened over political coverage

At about 2:30 p.m. on October 21, 2020, two men entered the home of journalist José Airton Alves Júnior in the town of Itarema, in Brazil’s northeast Ceará state, punched and kicked him several times, and threatened him, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Alves Júnior…

Read More ›

Guatemalan journalist Mario Ortega shot and killed

Los Angeles, November 18, 2020 — Guatemalan authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Mario Ortega and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 10, two unidentified individuals shot Ortega outside his home in the southwestern city of San José, according to…

Read More ›

Here’s how Biden can restore US press freedom leadership

In his four years in office, President Trump has made attacking the media a hallmark of his administration. He has called journalists fake news and enemies of the people — but also scum, liars, and bad people. He continues to blame the media for his electoral defeat, accusing journalists of covering his administration unfairly and…

Read More ›

2020