Haitian radio reporter Blondine Tanis kidnapped amid wave of abductions
New York, July 26, 2023—Those holding Haitian journalist Blondine Tanis must release her immediately and Haitian authorities must work to establish safe working conditions for journalists in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Unidentified people kidnapped Tanis, a host on the local broadcaster Radio Renovation FM, on the afternoon of July 21…
Guatemala: The imprisonment of José Rubén Zamora is an attack on the press and a bellwether for democracy
14 organizations call for justice in Zamora’s case and respect for the rule of law Over the past year, the government of President Alejandro Giammattei has engaged in desperate attempts to criminalize journalism in Guatemala. Among the lowest points of this campaign has been the imprisonment and sentencing of prominent investigative journalist José Rubén Zamora….
CPJ to hold press conference on José Rubén Zamora and Guatemala’s criminalization of journalists
Washington, D.C., July 21, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will hold a press conference on Wednesday, July 26, to mark the one-year anniversary of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora’s imprisonment. Speakers will include Zamora’s son and a Guatemalan journalist in exile. Zamora, founder of the independent investigative newspaper elPeriódico, was arrested on July 29,…
Mexican journalist Nelson Matus Peña killed in Acapulco
Mexico City, July 20, 2023—Mexican authorities must investigate the killing of journalist Nelson Matus Peña, determine whether he was targeted for his work, and bring his killers to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On July 15, several unidentified attackers shot and killed Matus, founder and editor of Lo Real de Guerrero, in…
‘An accumulation of lies’: Right-wing group La Resistencia stokes anti-press fervor in Peru
Journalist Gustavo Gorriti remembers the days — just a few years ago — when people on the streets of Lima approached him to congratulate him for exposing corrupt government officials, drug trafficking mafias, and human rights abusers. A few even asked him to pose for selfies. These days, though, motorists shout insults at him from…
Mexican journalist Luis Martín Sánchez Iñíguez killed in Nayarit
Mexico City, July 13, 2023—Mexican authorities must immediately, transparently, and credibly investigate the killing of journalist Luis Martín Sánchez Iñíguez and determine whether he was killed because of his work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Sánchez, the correspondent in the northern Mexican state of Nayarit for the Mexico City-based national newspaper La Jornada,…
Ecuador on edge: Political paralysis and spiking crime pose new threats to press freedom
In Ecuador, political turmoil and a deepening security crisis are putting reporters and press freedom at increasing risk. President Guillermo Lasso, who dissolved the country’s National Assembly in May as it took steps to impeach him, has proved ineffective at stemming the rise in violent crime and journalists are watching uneasily as the party of…
Ecuadorian journalist run off road, threatened with death after critical reporting
Bogotá, June 27, 2023—Ecuadorian authorities must thoroughly investigate the recent death threats issued to journalist Lissette Ormaza and hold those responsible to account, Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 20, Ormaza, a reporter and newscaster for the privately owned broadcaster Majestad Televisión, was driving from her home in La Concordia to her outlet’s…
Haitian television station owner disappears days after brief abduction of his journalist wife
New York, June 22, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday called on Haitian authorities to investigate the reported kidnapping of Pierre-Louis Opont, the president of Haiti’s independent Télé Pluriel channel 44, and the brief abduction of his journalist wife Marie Lucie Bonhomme. The disappearance of Opont on Tuesday, June 20, came days after Bonhomme,…