Americas

  

Honduran radio reporter shot in latest journalist murder

New York, August 25, 2010–Honduran radio reporter Israel Zelaya Díaz was found shot to death on Tuesday along a rural road near the northern city of San Pedro Sula, the latest in an alarming string of journalist murders in the country. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Honduran authorities today to conduct an immediate…

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Notitarde/Jacinto Oliveros

Colombia nabs alleged mastermind in Sambrano murder

New York, August 23, 2010–The alleged mastermind in the 2009 murder of Venezuelan journalist Orel Sambrano, at left, was arrested Thursday in Colombia and is now facing extradition to Venezuela, local and international press reported.Colombian authorities arrested Walid Makled García in the city of Cúcuta, near the border with Venezuela, according to news reports. A warrant was issued in…

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An El Nacional journalist holds a sign that reads "Don´t let anybody silence you" during a protest at the paper's newsroom in Caracas on August 18. (AP/Fernando Llano)

Venezuelan censorship over morgue photos is selective

A controversial ruling by a Venezuelan court banning print media from publishing images of violence was partially reversed on Thursday following an international outcry from media, rights groups, and United Nations and Organization of American States officials.

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14th Cuban journalist freed, flown to Spain

New York, August 20, 2010–Today Juan Adolfo Fernández Saínz became the 14th imprisoned Cuban journalist released and flown to Spain, following July talks between the Catholic Church and the government of President Raúl Castro.

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A well-wisher hugs freed Cuban journalist Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta upon his arrival at a hotel in Madrid today. (AP/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

2 Cuban reporters freed, arrive in Madrid; 13 now released

New York, August 19, 2010–Formerly imprisoned Cuban journalists Fabio Prieto Llorente and Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta arrived in Spain today, bringing to 13 the number of imprisoned reporters who were freed this year as part of an agreement between the Cuban Catholic Church and the government of President Raúl Castro.

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Court in Venezuela bans violent photos in newspapers

New York, August 18, 2010–A Venezuelan court’s decision to ban print media from publishing images of violence is an attempt to censor news coverage of widespread crime in the weeks leading up to the September 26 legislative elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

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A soldier outside Televisa's Monterrey offices. (Reuters/Tomas Bravo)

CPJ condemns grenade attacks against Televisa

New York, August 16, 2010–Weekend grenade attacks against the Monterrey and Matamoros offices of the national broadcaster Televisa reflect another attempt by organized crime to intimidate the Mexican news media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Authorities did this graveside autopsy in the Nahúm Palacios murder--three months after the slaying. (CPJ)

In Honduran murders, a flawed government response

In a letter to the editor published Sunday in The New York Times, Honduran minister on human rights Ana Pineda took issue with the findings of CPJ’s recent special report on the murders of seven local reporters this year. Our report, which the Times detailed in a July 27 story, found a pattern of botched…

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Emergency workers at the blast scene. (AP/William Fernando Martinez)

Colombian attorney general says car bomb targeted station

New York, August 12, 2010–A car bomb exploded early this morning outside the building of national Caracol Radio in the capital city of Bogotá, causing serious damage and injuring at least nine people, local new reports said. President Juan Manuel Santos, who took office on Saturday, described the explosion as “a terrorist act,” and said…

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CPJ, partner groups urge UNESCO to pull Obiang prize

New York, August 12, 2010–The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization should cancel the Obiang prize at its next session in October 2010, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 95 partner groups said in a letter to UNESCO Executive Board members today.

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