Guatemalan journalist Carlos Choc faces criminal charges after covering protest
Guatemala City, April 1, 2022 — Guatemalan authorities should immediately drop criminal charges against journalist Carlos Ernesto Choc, a correspondent for local news outlet Prensa Comunitaria, and stop using the country’s justice system to harass and silence the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On January 14, a criminal court judge in Puerto…
Guatemalan journalist Orlando Villanueva shot dead in Puerto Barrios
Guatemala City, March 23, 2022 — Guatemalan authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Orlando Villanueva, determine if it was connected to his journalism, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the afternoon of March 8, an unknown number of unidentified individuals…
A press freedom crisis unfolds in Latin America
As the number of journalists imprisoned globally for their work climbs to record highs, cases of those behind bars in Latin America remained relatively low. A total of six – three in Cuba, two in Nicaragua and one in Brazil – were in custody for their work as of December 1, according to the Committee…
CPJ honors journalists who risk their lives for press freedom
November 19, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) paid tribute Thursday to brave journalists from Guatemala, Mozambique, and Myanmar by presenting them with CPJ’s 2021 International Press Freedom Awards (IPFA) in New York. CPJ also honored Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai with its 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. “The journalists we are honoring…
Guatemalan police harass, raid homes of journalists covering protests in El Estor
New York, October 28, 2021 — Guatemalan authorities must stop harassing journalists covering protests and ensure the independent press can safely cover events of national interest without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since October 22, police officers have confronted protesters in El Estor, in the eastern coastal department of Izabal, who have…
CPJ welcomes decision to drop criminal charges against Guatemalan journalist Anastasia Mejía
Miami, September 10, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a Guatemala court decision dismissing all criminal charges against journalist Anastasia Mejía. “While we are delighted that Guatemalan journalist Anastasia Mejía’s legal ordeal has come to an end, she never should have been detained, charged, and subjected to such harassment over her reporting,” said…
Guatemalan ex-official’s family members sue 2 journalists under violence against women law
Guatemala City, June 4, 2021 — Guatemala authorities should drop the criminal charges against journalists Sonny Figueroa and Marvin del Cid, and ensure that former public officials do not abuse the country’s laws to harass members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In May 21, two relatives of Miguel Martínez, the…
Proposed ‘NGO Law’ threatens press freedom, independent reporting in Guatemala
Guatemala City, May 19, 2021 – Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei should reject a proposed law granting the government broad control over the finances and operations of non-governmental organizations, including nonprofit news outlets and press freedom groups, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 12, newly elected members of Guatemala’s Constitutional Court overturned a…
April 2021: The ‘voice of the people’: Anastasia Mejía vows to keep reporting after Guatemala arrest
On August 24, 2020, Anastasia Mejía prepared herself for yet another day of reporting in Joyabaj in central Guatemala. At 49 years old, she had spent the previous 11 years covering the city’s Indigenous Maya K’iche’ community, to which she belongs. Her subject that day was a protest of mostly Maya K’iche’ merchants who wanted…
CPJ, Human Rights Watch call on Guatemala to improve press freedom, access to information
The Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch today issued a joint statement calling on Guatemalan authorities to stop harassing the press, strengthen protections for journalists, and ensure the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic does not restrict press freedom or access to information. The statement notes that the administration of President Alejandro Giammattei,…