While violence and repression against the press continued unabated and even increased in some countries, public trust in journalists and the press suffered in much of the Americas, jeopardizing support for reforms of archaic press laws and opening the door for governments to take a more confrontational approach with the media.
Dear Mr. de León: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is disturbed by the alleged participation of Guatemala state agents in a June 2003 attack against José Rubén Zamora, publisher of the daily elPeriódico. We urge you to ensure that these allegations are fully investigated and to bring those responsible to justice.
New York, October 28, 2003—The four Guatemalan journalists abducted last Sunday by former paramilitary forces in the town of La Libertad, in the northwestern department of Huehuetenango, were released this afternoon after the government of President Alfonso Portillo Cabrera promised to compensate the ex-paramilitaries for their services during the 36-year civil war. [Read CPJ’s alert…
New York, October 27, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is outraged by the recent abduction of four Guatemalan journalists. On Sunday, October 26, former paramilitary fighters kidnapped reporters Freddy López and Alberto Ramírez, and photographers Emerson Díaz and Mario Linares, all of the Guatemala Citybased daily Prensa Libre, in the town of La Libertad,…
Nova York, 27 de outubro de 2003 — O Comitê para Proteção dos Jornalistas (CPJ) está indignado com o recente seqüestro de quatro jornalistas guatemaltecos. No domingo, 26 de outubro, ex-patrulheiros da Autodefesa Civil (Autodefensa Civil PAC) seqüestraram os repórteres Freddy López e Alberto Ramírez, e os fotógrafos Emerson Díaz e Mario Linares, todos…
New York, October 27, 2003—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is outraged by the recent abduction of four Guatemalan journalists. On Sunday, October 26, former paramilitary fighters kidnapped reporters Freddy López and Alberto Ramírez, and photographers Emerson Díaz and Mario Linares, all of the Guatemala Citybased daily Prensa Libre, in the town of La Libertad,…
Guatemala City, October 24, 2003—A delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today verified a climate of threats and intimidation against the Guatemalan press, following a five-day visit to the country. The purpose of CPJ’s visit was to assess press freedom conditions in Guatemala; ask the Guatemalan government to provide information about the status…
Cidade da Guatemala, 24 de outubro de 2003 –Uma delegação do Comitê para a Proteção dos Jornalistas (CPJ) verificou o clima de ameaças e intimidações que vive a imprensa guatemalteca, após uma visita de cinco dias à Guatemala. A visita do CPJ teve como objetivo constatar in loco a situação da liberdade de imprensa na…
Nova York, 24 de julho de 2003 — O Comitê de Proteção aos Jornalistas (CPJ) está chocado e pesaroso com a morte de Héctor Ramírez, repórter do Canal 7 da televisão, que morreu hoje quando cobria protestos na capital, Cidade de Guatemala. Juan Carlos Lange, diretor de notícias de Notisiete, o programa de notícias para…
New York, July 24, 2003— The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is shocked and saddened by the death of Héctor Ramírez, a reporter for Guatemala’s Channel 7 television station, who died today while covering protests in the capital, Guatemala City. Juan Carlos Lange, news director at “Notisiete,” the news program for which Ramírez worked, told…