Cuban independent journalist Alberto Corzo assaulted after encounter with state security agents
Miami, April 8, 2022 – Cuban authorities should thoroughly investigate the recent attack on journalist Alberto Corzo and swiftly bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On April 1, at approximately 10 a.m., two agents from the Department of State Security, commonly referred to as the political police, stopped Corzo…
How Venezuela’s government uses private internet providers to restrict access to the news
After seven years of painstakingly building up its audience, Crónica Uno, one of the only high-quality news websites that caters to poor and working-class Venezuelans, was recording up to 15,000 unique page views per day. But after private internet service providers (ISPs) teamed up with Venezuela’s authoritarian government in February to block Crónica Uno and…
New El Salvador law threatens up to 15 years in prison for reporting on gangs
New York, April 7, 2022 – El Salvador lawmakers should repeal new legislation that criminalizes reporting on gangs, and should allow the press to cover issues of public interest freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “As journalists and press freedom organizations have feared, Salvadoran authorities are using the country’s state of emergency as…
Brazilian police called after journalists seek comment from British mining company
Rio de Janeiro, April 6, 2022 – The Brazil Iron mining company must respect journalists’ right to report on issues of public interest, and should not threaten members of the press with arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On March 28, an employee of the Brazilian subsidiary of Britain’s Brazil Iron in the…
Guatemalan journalist Juan Luis Font leaves the country after former official accuses him of ‘unlawful association’
Guatemala City, April 6, 2022 — Guatemalan authorities should immediately dismiss criminal proceedings against journalist Juan Luis Font, allow him to work freely without fear of reprisal, and stop using lawsuits to harass members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In late March 2022, the country’s former communications minister Alejandro Sinibaldi…
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…
Many journalists in exile have to leave the profession. This one saved a local Canadian newspaper
When reporters flee their home countries, many are forced to leave the profession after finding few opportunities in journalism and facing other pressures in exile. CPJ recently spoke with a Pakistani refugee reporter who not only stayed in journalism, but saved a local newspaper in his adopted country, Canada. In 2002, Mohsin Abbas was a…
Nicaraguan publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann convicted on money laundering charges
New York, March 24, 2022 – Nicaraguan authorities should release publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro from prison immediately, and should ensure that members of the press do not face criminal penalties for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, March 23, at the end of a three-day closed-door trial, a judge…
CPJ joins call for US Congress to reauthorize Global Magnitsky Act
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 57 other civil society groups in a letter on Wednesday, March 23, calling for the U.S. Congress to reauthorize and strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The 2016 law allows the U.S. to place targeted economic and visa sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for serious human…
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…