Venezuelan National Union of Journalists office destroyed in arson attack
Miami, April 28, 2021 — Venezuelan authorities should thoroughly investigate the arson attack on the regional headquarters of the National Union of Journalists, and ensure those responsible are prosecuted, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 19, at around 4 a.m., unidentified individuals set fire to the regional headquarters of the National Union…
Mexican state authorities order website to remove articles critical of political candidate
Mexico City, April 27, 2021 – Authorities in the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora should immediately rescind letters ordering the news website Yo Rechazo la Corrupción y la Impunidad to take down articles covering alleged corruption by a political candidate, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 23, Dianeth Pérez Arreola,…
April 2021: The ‘voice of the people’: Anastasia Mejía vows to keep reporting after Guatemala arrest
On August 24, 2020, Anastasia Mejía prepared herself for yet another day of reporting in Joyabaj in central Guatemala. At 49 years old, she had spent the previous 11 years covering the city’s Indigenous Maya K’iche’ community, to which she belongs. Her subject that day was a protest of mostly Maya K’iche’ merchants who wanted…
Colombian journalist Luis Carlos Ayala survives shooting
Bogotá, April 26, 2021 – Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the shooting of journalist Luis Carlos Ayala and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 8:30 p.m. on April 20, an unidentified man aboard a motorcycle shot and slightly injured Ayala, who works as a freelance photojournalist and…
Argentine court charges journalist Daniel Santoro with attempted extortion
Miami, April 22, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Argentine authorities to drop the latest criminal charge against investigative journalist Daniel Santoro, who has been subject to repeated legal harassment for at least two years. On April 19, Judge Luis Rodríguez from the Ninth Federal Criminal and Correctional Court charged Santoro,…
Brazilian media outlet that covers women’s rights targeted with DDoS attack
Between March 26 and April 2, 2021, unidentified internet users orchestrated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Portal Catarinas, an online media outlet specializing in gender, feminism, and human rights, according to Paula Guimarães, the portal’s executive director and a report by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI). The attacks flooded the site with traffic…
Nicaraguan police assault journalist Kalúa Salazar, block her from leaving home
Guatemala City, April 21, 2021 – Nicaraguan authorities must stop the police harassment of journalist Kalúa Salazar and allow members of the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 19, at about 4:30 a.m., a riot police officer standing outside Salazar’s house in the Caribbean city of Bluefields grabbed…
Journalist Jeremy McDermott faces new criminal defamation suit in Colombia
Bogotá, April 21, 2021 – Colombian authorities should dismiss a criminal defamation lawsuit against investigative journalist Jeremy McDermott, and Colombia should reform its defamation laws to align with international standards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 6, the national attorney general’s office notified McDermott, a British national and the co-director and legal…
Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal orders El Nacional daily to pay $13 million in defamation case
Bogotá, April 20, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a decision by the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal ordering the independent daily newspaper El Nacional to pay the equivalent of more than $13 million in damages in a civil defamation lawsuit. On April 16, the Civil Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal ordered El…
Minnesota law enforcement must stop obstructing journalists covering protests
Washington, D.C., April 19, 2021— Minnesota authorities must respect journalists’ rights and refrain from charging members of the press for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the evening of April 16, law enforcement in Brooklyn Center corralled dozens of journalists along with people demonstrating against the police killing of Duante…