New York, July 29, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns last week’s decision by a Chilean court temporarily barring a television station from airing a program about a high-profile murder case. On Wednesday, July 23, a panel of judges of the Santiago Court of Appeals, in Chile’s capital, ordered Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN)…
New York, April 4, 2003—Chile’s Sixth Chamber of the Santiago Appeals Court overturned the conviction of Chilean TV commentator Eduardo Yáñez, who was convicted of “disrespect” earlier this year. On Wednesday, April 2, the appeals court ruled that “even though the expressions voiced by Yáñez can be qualified as excessive, vulgar, or ignorant, they do…
Economic and political turmoil throughout Latin America in 2002 had profound implications for the region’s press. Sharp decreases in advertising revenue bankrupted many media outlets, while the failure to consolidate democratic reforms left the media vulnerable to legal and physical assault. Five journalists were killed in Latin America in 2002 for their work.
The administration of President Ricardo Lagos continued its efforts, begun in 2001, to repeal Chile’s harsh criminal statutes for press offenses. In September, the government introduced a bill to amend several articles of the Penal Code and the Code of Military Justice that impose criminal penalties for “insulting the honor or dignity” of government authorities,…
The U.S. government took aggressive measures in 2002 to shield some of its activities from press scrutiny. These steps not only reduced access for U.S. reporters but had a global ripple effect, with autocratic leaders citing U.S. government actions to justify repressive policies.
New York, February 5, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply disturbed by a Chilean judge’s decision to impose a two-months suspended prison sentence on television commentator Eduardo Yáñez. On Friday January 31, Judge Juan Manuel Muñoz convicted Yáñez, a panelist on Chilevisión’s debate show “El Termómetro,” of “disrespect” under Article 263 of the…
New York, December 18, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is disturbed by a Chilean court’s decision to sentence television commentator Eduardo Yáñez to 18 months in prison. Earlier today, the Chilean Court of Appeals convicted Yáñez, a panelist on Chilevisión’s debate show “El Termómetro,” of “disrespect.” In addition to jail time, the court ordered…
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned about a recent Chilean court decision upholding the charges of “disrespect” (desacato) against television commentator Eduardo Yáñez, a regular panelist on Chilevisión’s debate show “El Termómetro.”
New York, May 7, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Chilean government’s recent pledge to reform Chile’s onerous criminal defamation laws. On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, government spokesman Heraldo Muñoz announced that the government would present a proposal to the Chamber of Deputies to achieve “the decriminalization of crimes of opinion ……
AGAINST A BACKDROP OF TROUBLED ECONOMIES AND DEMOCRACIES, the Americas saw an increase in violent and verbal attacks against journalists during 2001. The number of journalists murdered in the region has grown, with 11 killed for their work in 2001, compared to seven in 2000 and six in 1999. The violence is also occurring in…