Americas

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Rio de Janeiro, March 18, 2022 – Authorities in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state should promptly investigate the recent attacks on journalists covering a police protest, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On March 9, during a protest held by striking Minas Gerais police officers in Belo Horizonte, the…

Bogotá, March 16, 2022 – Peruvian authorities must investigate the recent attacks on five journalists by supporters of President Pedro Castillo outside Peru’s Congress building and guarantee that the press can cover political demonstrations safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. During a March 8 vote by Peru’s legislature to approve Castillo’s new cabinet,…

Mexico City, March 16, 2022 – Mexican authorities must immediately and credibly investigate the killing of journalist Armando Linares López and ensure the protection of his colleagues, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, March 15, unidentified attackers shot and killed Linares, the co-founder and editor of news website Monitor Michoacán, at his…

Guatemala City, March 15, 2022 — Honduran authorities should swiftly and transparently investigate the recent attack on Radio Globo’s office and ensure that the perpetrators are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At about 3 p.m. on March 7, a man on a motorcycle fired multiple gunshots at the broadcaster’s office…

Brussels, March 10, 2022 — The European Union must strengthen its criticism of the deterioration of press freedom in Mexico and ensure that Mexican authorities guarantee immediate resourcing and funding of their protection program for journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday, March 10, that condemns…