Attacks on the Press 2001: Nicaragua
During his last year in office, President Arnoldo Alemán continued to show intolerance and hostility toward the press. His administration supported a law requiring compulsory registration for journalists and doled out state advertising to punish or reward media outlets, depending on their coverage.
Attacks on the Press 2001: Panama
During 2001, Government officials proposed legislation to toughen repressive press laws, castigated local journalists and media outlets, and prosecuted them for criminal defamation. Panama’s so-called gag laws include a range of articles, laws, and decrees–many promulgated under military governments–that criminalize criticism of public officials and permit prior censorship. In December 1999, following a pledge to…
Attacks on the Press 2001: Paraguay
Journalists in Paraguay face one of the region’s most difficult working environments, in which threats, attacks, and criminal defamation lawsuits occur frequently. Throughout 2001, the Paraguayan press remained sharply divided between the ruling Colorado Party and the opposition Liberal Party. The press does cover official corruption, but media owners’ allegiances to powerful politicians and businessmen,…
Attacks on the Press 2001: Peru
Press freedom conditions improved markedly in Peru during 2001. The victory of centrist Alejandro Toledo, who beat leftist candidate Alan García in the June 3 runoff presidential elections, brought democracy back to Peru, a country that suffered 10 years of authoritarian rule under former president Alberto K. Fujimori.
Attacks on the Press 2001: Uruguay
Although Uruguay boasts one of Latin America’s most vibrant and diverse media scenes, journalists say its quality has suffered during a three-year economic recession. Many journalists have lost their jobs, while increased competition with foreign publications, a decline in Uruguayans’ buying power, and a decrease in advertising have exacerbated the crisis.
Attacks on the Press 2001: Venezuela
During 2001, supporters of President Hugo Chávez Frías clashed with the opposition over the government’s political and economic policies, while in December the business sector called for street demonstrations to protest anti-business legislation. Venezuela’s political situation–along with Chávez’s popularity–appeared tenuous at the end of the year.
Attacks on the Press 2001: Journalists in Prison
There were 118 journalists in prison around the world at the end of 2001 who were jailed for practicing their profession. The number is up significantly from the previous year, when 81 journalists were in jail, and represents a return to the level of 1998, when 118 were also imprisoned.
Journalists accused of complicity in global drug trade
New York, March 22, 2002—The Venezuelan state news agency has sparked widespread furor by accusing three local independent journalists of involvement in an alleged global drug trafficking conspiracy controlled by international banks and political leaders from developed countries. On March 13, the state information agency Venpres published an opinion piece on its Web site (http://www.venpres.gov.ve)…
Police assault journalist
New York, March 14, 2002—An independent Cuban journalist is recuperating at home after suffering a brutal assault by local police earlier this month, CPJ has learned. Two other journalists who protested the attack remain in detention. Around 11:30 a.m. on March 4, CubaPress correspondent Jesús Álvarez Castillo was covering a demonstration by the human rights…
Journalist receive notice of their own funerals
Bogotá, March 11, 2002— Seven journalists who have covered high-profile criminal investigations for major Colombian media organizations were threatened with death and given three days to leave the country. A message typed on a card used to request a Catholic prayer for the dead accused the journalists of being “gossipy sons-of-bitches who with their lies…