Assailants shoot at El Debate newspaper office in Mexico
Mexico City, October 18, 2024—CPJ is highly concerned after unidentified attackers fired at the offices of the El Debate newspaper at 11 p.m. on October 17, in Culiacán, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa. No one was hurt; the building’s facade, two outlet cars, and two staff members’ personal vehicles were damaged…
CPJ, partners demand a fair hearing for Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora
The Committee to Protect Journalist and 18 other civil society organizations called on Guatemalan authorities to respect the independence of the judiciary at an October 18 hearing over the release of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora from pre-trial detention. The statement highlights a “deeply troubling trend” of criminalizing and intimidating human rights defenders, including Judge Rodolfo…
Press freedom in Paraguay threatened by proposed law to control nonprofits
São Paulo, October 17, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Paraguayan President Santiago Peña to reject a law that would impose burdensome restrictions on nonprofit news outlets and threaten their independence. On October 9, Paraguay’s Congress approved the Establishing Control, Transparency, and Accountability of Non-Profit Organizations Act and passed it to Peña, who has…
CPJ welcomes sentencing of killer of Las Vegas journalist Jeff German
Washington, D.C., October 16, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the 28-year sentence given to former politician Robert Telles on Wednesday for stabbing to death Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German. “The sentencing of Robert Telles marks a significant milestone in the quest for justice. Although the jailing of Telles cannot undo Jeff German’s murder,…
CPJ, partners comment on U.S. Commerce Department’s proposed rules on surveillance technology export controls
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined eight human rights and digital rights organizations on October 15 to provide comments to the U.S. Commerce Department in response to its proposed rules to strengthen surveillance technology export regulations. The joint comments assess and offer recommendations for the Commerce Department to help curb the proliferation of such surveillance…
A ‘culture of silence’ threatens press freedom under El Salvador President Bukele
Nearly 80,000 people have been detained, and up to 200 may have died in state custody, since El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s declared a state of emergency in March 2022, temporarily suspending constitutional rights and civil liberties in the country in the name of fighting gang violence. Local journalists and human rights organizations have raised concerns that Bukele, who…
Several journalists flee Cuba after state agents question, pressure at least 8
Miami, October 11, 2024—CPJ is alarmed by reports that since mid-September, Cuban state security agents questioned at least eight journalists and media workers from non-state media outlets, many in connection to alleged crimes against the state, leading several to flee the country. “The Cuban government appears to be engaged in a campaign of harassment and…
U.S. complaint filed against Salvadoran officer in 1982 killing of Dutch journalists
São Paulo, October 10, 2024—CPJ welcomes the civil complaint filed in a U.S. court against Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, one of several Salvadoran military officers alleged to be connected to the March 17, 1982 ambush and killing of Dutch TV journalists Jan Kuiper, Koos Koster, Joop Willemsen, and Hans ter Laag in Chalatenango, El Salvador, during their coverage of…
CPJ, partners call for journalist José Rubén Zamora’s release after 800 days of arbitrary detention
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight other press freedom organizations in calling for the release of Guatemalan journalist José Ruben Zamora, who has spent 800 days in detention since his July 29, 2022 arrest on charges of money laundering charges—which international organizations describe as arbitrary and politically motivated. The statement urged the Guatemalan government, especially President…
CPJ, partners urge US Congress to pass PRESS Act
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 100 news outlets and press rights organizations in a letter on Tuesday, October 8, asking U.S. Congressional members to support the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (PRESS Act). The bill would create a federal shield safeguarding reporter-source confidentiality and prevent government access to unreported source…