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Articles - Central America

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Honduras

Soldiers assault protesters calling for justice for slain journalists

A group of mostly women journalists calling for justice for slain reporters were violently suppressed by police with batons and tear gas in Honduras's capital last week, reports IFEX's member in Honduras the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), as well as Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Two members of C-Libre, Tirzia Gáleas y Cesar Villeda, who were at the demonstration as observers, were also assaulted.

Brazil / Honduras / Peru

With three new deaths, Latin America is most dangerous region for journalists, say IFEX members

Three journalists have been killed in the space of a week in Brazil, Honduras and Peru, cementing Latin America's status as the most dangerous region for journalists in 2011 so far, report IFEX members.

Honduras

Young radio station manager killed before community radio meeting

Twenty-six-year-old radio manager Nery Jeremias Orellana was riding a motorcycle to work on 14 July in Candelaria, Lempira, near Honduras's border with El Salvador, when he was gunned down by unidentified assailants, report the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre) and other IFEX members. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI), he is the third journalist killed possibly as a result of his profession this year in Honduras.

Guatemala / Venezuela

Two journalists killed in one week

Last week, a Guatemalan television journalist who had been repeatedly threatened for his reporting was found dead and a Venezuelan political journalist was gunned down, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Honduras

Murder of journalist highlights country's status as one of worst for press

A journalist who reported on corruption and local land disputes was gunned down last week in Honduras, the 10th journalist to have been murdered since March 2010, report the Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión (OLA) and other IFEX members. In not one case has the murder been solved, accounting for Honduras's status as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the world.

Panama

Video hate campaign discredits journalists who disclosed WikiLeaks info

After reporting on WikiLeaks revelations - embarrassing Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli's government - local journalists have been the target of a campaign to sully their reputations in videos posted anonymously on YouTube and through television ads, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Bolivia / El Salvador

Journalist found dead in Bolivia; cameraman gunned down in El Salvador

Two journalists were killed in two relatively safe countries in Latin America this past week. A journalist who went missing on 19 April in Bolivia was found dead two days later, report IFEX interim member Asociación Nacional de la Prensa (ANP) and other IFEX members, while a cameraman in El Salvador was gunned down near the capital on Monday, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Honduras

Authorities fail to protect journalists despite promises to UN, says IFEX-ALC

Last week in Honduras, a board member of the La Voz de Zacate Grande community radio station was shot in the leg by residents upset about the station's coverage. Police sat idly by. It was just the latest in a string of incidents that highlights the government's failure to investigate attacks on journalists - despite promises it made before the UN's Human Rights Council in November, says IFEX Latin America and Caribbean (IFEX-ALC), an alliance of 17 IFEX members in the region.

Panama

Assembly pulls plug on controversial libel bill

A controversial bill that included up to four years of prison for those who "insult" the president or other elected officials was withdrawn by the president of Panama's National Assembly, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The bill had been roundly criticised by IFEX members.

Americas / Honduras

Government vows to investigate journalist murders thanks to IFEX-ALC

The Honduran authorities have done an about face and have pledged to investigate the murders of nine journalists this year, following international lobbying by IFEX-América Latina y el Caribe (IFEX-ALC), an alliance of 17 IFEX members in the region. It's just one of many free expression commitments the government made following the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Honduras, an evaluation of the country's human rights record by members of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Panama

Uproar over criminal defamation conviction despite presidential pardon

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli's pardon last week of two TV journalists sentenced to jail for defaming officials does not solve the underlying problem of Panama still having criminal defamation laws, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Honduras

Ninth journalist slain in 2010

A journalist was found shot to death on a rural road in northern Honduras on 24 August, report the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members. Journalist Israel Zelaya Díaz is the ninth journalist killed this year since President Porfirio Lobo assumed power in January. The culture of impunity that has arisen under Lobo is silencing critical journalists, says a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Honduras

Broadcast journalist slain

A Honduran television journalist who covered corruption and environmental issues was gunned down in eastern Honduras on 14 June, report the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Honduras

IAPA calls for signatures to petition as another journalist is murdered

A Honduran journalist was shot in the head by an assailant waiting for him after he finished anchoring a show at a local television station, report the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members. He is the seventh journalist killed this year. IAPA is calling on hundreds of thousands of newspaper readers to sign a letter addressed to the president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, asking him to set up legal mechanisms to confront violence against journalists and the impunity linked to these crimes.

Honduras

Five journalists killed in one month

In a highway ambush, two journalists were shot to death in eastern Honduras on 26 March, report the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members. This brings the number of journalists murdered in Honduras this year to five; all killed this past month.

Honduras

Two more journalists slain

Three Honduran journalists have been killed in deadly attacks this month. A radio journalist was shot and killed driving home on 11 March, report the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). And on 16 March the news editor of a television station was riddled with bullets while driving, reports C-Libre, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. The recent assassinations come after a journalist was murdered on 1 March.

Honduras

One journalist murdered, another seriously injured in attack

A Honduran journalist was shot dead in an attack that also injured another journalist on 1 March, report the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Costa Rica

Prison terms removed from press law

In a press freedom victory, a Costa Rican court recently reformed a press law by eliminating a clause that imposed prison terms of up to 120 days for defamation in print, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Honduras

Pluralism and press freedom must be restored, says mission

Five IFEX members and two other organisations are calling for dialogue between the Honduran media, human rights groups and civil society in the country in order to rebuild a democratic environment. The seven organisations have released a report on the state of press freedom in Honduras since the 28 June 2009 coup d'état after a joint fact-finding mission in November 2009.

Honduras

Rights activist gunned down

A human rights activist was shot and killed in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, on 13 December, report the Comité por la Libre Expressión (C-Libre) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Honduras

Rights violations under de facto regime

In a new report, the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre) has recorded 127 cases of violations against freedom of expression since the Honduran de facto government seized power in June.

Honduras

Media faces grenade attacks and more soldiers in the streets

About 10 grenades have been lobbed at media outlets in Honduras since the crisis began this summer, says the International Press Institute (IPI). Recently, a grenade was flung into the offices of a popular Honduran radio station on 5 November, injuring two people and damaging the broadcast booth. The device exploded on the roof of Radio HRN, Honduras's oldest station, in the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Guatemala

Journalists under threat from crime groups

Drug traffickers are on the hunt for journalists in Guatemala for reporting on the killing of three people, presumably by members of crime groups, reports Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA).

Honduras

Civil liberties suspended in state of emergency

A state of emergency was declared by the de facto government in Honduras on 26 September, suspending constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression, freedom of movement and freedom of assembly for 45 days, report the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre) and IFEX members. Harassment of the media continues as overall conditions for journalistic work greatly deteriorate.

El Salvador

Photojournalist/documentary filmmaker killed

A filmmaker who spent years documenting El Salvador's most violent gangs was shot dead last week, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Honduras

Another round of violence against the media post-coup

Nearly two months after Honduras's left-leaning president Manuel Zelaya was kidnapped from the presidential palace and expelled from the country, journalists and activists continue to pay the price, say the Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Honduras

Press freedom violations continue post-coup

Amid a continuing climate of media harassment after the coup, a correspondent for Radio América was killed by an unidentified gunman on 3 July in northern Honduras, report Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Wihout Borders (RSF). Although the killing may not be linked to the crisis, press freedom continues to suffer in the coup's aftermath, say the members.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua at war with media, says CPJ report

How do you use the media to maintain an iron grip on your country? If you are Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, you bypass the independent media, defining them as enemies and moving aggressively to obstruct them, says a special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Honduras

Free expression in jeopardy following coup

Following the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya on 28 June, the new authorities have harassed and briefly detained journalists, interfered with several broadcast media outlets and imposed a 48-hour curfew, putting free expression at risk, say IFEX member in Honduras Comité por la Libre Expresíon (C-Libre), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Guatemala

Journalist killed by unidentified assailant

TV reporter Marco Antonio Estrada was shot down in Chiquimula, Guatemala just as he was stepping off his motorcycle on 8 June, report the Journalists' Observatory of the Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Honduras

MIEMBROS DE IFEX CONDENAN ASESINATO DE CAMARÓGRAFO

Honduras

LES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX CONDAMNENT LES MEURTRES DE JOURNALISTES

Honduras

IFEX MEMBERS CONDEMN MURDERS OF JOURNALISTS

IFEX members have expressed outrage at the murder of two journalists in Guatemala and Honduras this week, countries "plagued by an overall lack of safety", said the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Guatemala

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX DÉNONCENT LA VIOLENCE CROISSANTE DIRIGÉE CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES

Guatemala

MIEMBROS DE IFEX DENUNCIAN AUMENTO EN VIOLENCIA CONTRA PERIODISTAS

Guatemala

IFEX MEMBERS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION SITUATION IN GUATEMELA

IFEX members and participants in the "Regional meeting of Latin American freedom of expression organisations" organised by the IFEX Clearing House, issued a press statement appealing to the Guatemala government to work with civil society organisations to guarantee the protection of journalists, whose lives are increasingly under threat by drug cartels and organized criminals.

Honduras

HONDURAS INFRINGE SU PROPIA LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN, DICE C-LIBRE

Honduras

LE HONDURAS CONTREVIENT À SA PROPRE LOI SUR LA LIBERTÉ D'ACCÈS À L'INFORMATION, DIT C-LIBRE

Honduras

HONDURAS BREACHES OWN ACCESS TO INFORMATION LAW, SAYS C-LIBRE

2008 was not a good year for press freedom in Honduras. Despite the passage of the much anticipated Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information, public institutions are not abiding by it, says an investigation by the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre), a coalition of journalists and members of civil society that defends and promotes free expression in Honduras.

Guatemala

DISEÑADOR GRÁFICO MUERTO CON BALLESTA

Guatemala

UN CONCEPTEUR GRAPHIQUE EST ASSASSINÉ AU MOYEN D'UNE ARBALÈTE

Guatemala

GRAPHIC DESIGNER KILLED BY CROSSBOW

A graphic designer for a national daily in Guatemala was killed after being hit in the chest by an arrow fired from a crossbow, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Institute for Press and Society (IPYS).

Guatemala

LA RADIODIFFUSION COMMUNAUTAIRE ATTAQUÉE DANS TROIS PAYS, MAIS PROMUE EN URUGUAY

Guatemala

REPORTERO BALEADO DESPUÉS DE RECIBIR AMENAZAS

Guatemala

UN REPORTER EST ABATTU APRÈS AVOIR ÉTÉ MENACÉ

Guatemala

REPORTER GUNNED DOWN AFTER RECEIVING THREATS

A newspaper correspondent was gunned down in his home in southern Guatemala just weeks after receiving threats, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Guatemala

GOBIERNO ACUERDA LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN

Guatemala

LE GOUVERNEMENT CONSENT À UNE LOI SUR L'ACCÈS À L'INFORMATION

Guatemala

GOVERNMENT AGREES TO ACCESS TO INFORMATION LAW

Guatemala's government has committed to enacting an access to information law, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Guatemala

UN REPORTER DE LA RADIO EST ASSASSINÉ

Guatemala

REPORTERO DE RADIO ASESINADO

Guatemala

RADIO REPORTER MURDERED

A young radio announcer was found dead in Guatemala last week, only two months after he started working at a local station, reports the Centre of Informative Reports on Guatemala (Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala, CERIGUA).

Honduras

PERIODISTA RADIOFÓNICO ASESINADO EN TEGUCIGALPA

Honduras

UN RADIOJOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉ À TEGUCIGALPA

Honduras

RADIO JOURNALIST MURDERED IN TEGUCIGALPA

Unidentified individuals shot and killed Honduran radio journalist Carlos Salgado on 17 October as he was leaving the offices of Radio Cadena Voces (RCV) in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is investigating whether the murder is linked to Salgado's work.

El Salvador

UN REPORTER DE LA RADIO EST ABATTU

El Salvador

REPORTERO DE RADIO BALEADO

El Salvador

RADIO REPORTER GUNNED DOWN

A radio reporter in El Salvador who had told his family he had been receiving death threats was gunned down a few metres from his home last week, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, IPYS).

El Salvador

LA POLICE UTILISE LA LOI ANTITERRORISTE POUR RÉPRIMER LES PROTESTATIONS

El Salvador

POLICÍA USA LEY ANTITERRORISMO PARA SUPRIMIR MANIFESTACIÓN

El Salvador

POLICE USE ANTI-TERROR LAW TO SUPPRESS PROTEST

Amnesty International is "deeply concerned" that the police improperly used new anti-terrorist legislation to punish demonstrators protesting against government plans to privatise water distribution in El Salvador.

Honduras

C-LIBRE ENQUÊTE SUR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION AU HONDURAS

Honduras

C-LIBRE INVESTIGA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN EN HONDURAS

Honduras

C-LIBRE INVESTIGATES FREE EXPRESSION IN HONDURAS

Free expression and access to information were severely curtailed in a number of ways in Honduras in 2006, says the Committee for Free Expression (El Comité por la Libre Expresión, C-Libre) annual report, according to its partner Probidad, an IFEX member.

Panama

LES CONTRAINTES À L'INFORMATION OUTRAGENT LES GROUPES DE DÉFENSE DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

Panama

RESTRICCIONES A INFORMACIÓN ESCANDALIZAN A GRUPOS DE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

Panama

INFORMATION CONSTRAINTS OUTRAGE FREE EXPRESSION GROUPS

The President's decision to sign into law articles that will seriously undermine the right to information has enraged free expression groups worldwide, including ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Nicaragua

LE PRÉSIDENT PROMET D'ÉLIMINER LES OBSTACLES AUX MÉDIAS COMMUNAUTAIRES

Nicaragua

PRESIDENTE PROMETE ELIMINAR BARRERAS PARA MEDIOS COMUNITARIOS

Nicaragua

PRESIDENT PROMISES TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA

Nicaragua's president has agreed to waive licence fees for community-based and other small media and to allocate government advertising contracts equitably, reports the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).

Guatemala

NUEVA LEY SOCAVA ESTACIONES DE RADIO COMUNITARIAS

Guatemala

UNE NOUVELLE LOI MENAÇANTE POUR LES STATIONS DE RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE

Guatemala

NEW LAW UNDERMINES COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS

The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) has formally complained to the Organization of American States (OAS) that a recent Guatemalan decree threatens freedom of expression, indigenous cultural rights and peasant communities. On 8 February, the government approved a decree "to resolve the issue of illegal radio stations" that reinforces the practice of closing unlicenced community radio stations and imprisoning their operators.

Panama

UN PROJET DE LOI MENAÇANT POUR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION SUR LE POINT DE DEVENIR LOI

Panama

PROYECTO DE LEY QUE AMENAZA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN ESTÁ CERCA DE CONVERTIRSE EN LEY

Panama

BILL THREATENING FREE EXPRESSION CLOSER TO BECOMING LAW

Proposals to reform Panama's Criminal Code that seriously threaten freedom of expression and information have received a second reading in the National Assembly, ARTICLE 19 reports.

Honduras

CONGRESO APRUEBA LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN

Honduras

LE CONGRÈS APPROUVE LA LOI SUR L'ACCÈS À L'INFORMATION

Honduras

CONGRESS APPROVES ACCESS TO INFORMATION LAW

Honduras has joined the growing number of Latin American countries that have passed access to information laws, reports Probidad. On 23 November 2006, congress approved the Transparency and Access to Public Information Law (Ley de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Pública).

Guatemala

LES ATTAQUES CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES SÈMENT L'INQUIÉTUDE

Guatemala

AGRESIONES CONTRA PERIODISTAS CAUSAN ALARMA

Guatemala

ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS CAUSE ALARM

The Centre for Reports on Guatemala (Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala), the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have voiced concerns over a series of attacks on journalists in Guatemala. In the past three weeks, a reporter has been murdered, another shot and two others threatened.

Panama

PROYECTO DE ENMIENDAS DE DIFAMACIÓN PENAL CAUSA ALARMA

Panama

DES PROPOSITIONS DE MODIFICATIONS AUX LOIS SUR LA DIFFAMATION PÉNALE SOULÈVENT L’INQUIÉTUDE

Panama

CRIMINAL DEFAMATION AMENDMENTS CAUSE ALARM

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) are expressing alarm at a bill drafted by Panamanian lawmakers, under which prison terms for defamation would be doubled and penalties drastically increased.

Costa Rica

DES LOIS ARCHAÏQUES SUR LA DIFFAMATION ENTRAVENT LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Costa Rica

ARCHAIC DEFAMATION LAWS HAMPER PRESS FREEDOM

Outdated defamation laws used to silence critical journalism in Costa Rica are incompatible with international human rights standards and fly in the face of recent rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, say the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Guatemala

DES STATIONS DE RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE SONT CIBLÉES

Guatemala

ATACAN ESTACIONES DE RADIO COMUNITARIAS

Guatemala

COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS TARGETED

In Guatemala, community radio stations play a key role in bringing news and information to rural indigenous communities, a role recognised in the 1996 Peace Accords that officially ended decades of brutal civil conflict. However, in a country where authorities charge exhorbitant fees for broadcast frequencies, the majority of community radio stations cannot afford licences and operate illegally.

Guatemala

SUPREMA CORTE DEROGA LEYES DE "DESACATO"

Guatemala

LA COUR SUPRÊME CASSE LES LOIS SUR LES INSULTES

Guatemala

SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN INSULT LAWS

Guatemela's highest court has ruled that laws criminalising expression considered offensive to public officials are unconstitutional and an affront to freedom of expression, a move hailed by IFEX members.

Honduras

L'AUTOCENSURE DANS LES MÉDIAS SÈME L'INQUIÉTUDE

Honduras

INQUIETUD POR AUTOCENSURA EN MEDIOS

Honduras

CONCERNS FOR SELF-CENSORSHIP IN THE MEDIA

In Honduras, the abolition of criminal defamation laws in 2005 marked a victory for freedom of expression, but self-censorship in the media remains a serious challenge for the country's journalism community, reports PROBIDAD.

Guatemala

FUTURO DE RADIO COMUNITARIA EN RIESGO EN GUATEMALA

Guatemala

L'avenir de la radio communautaire est en péril au Guatemala

Guatemala

Future of Community Radio at Risk in Guatemala

22 November 2005

Guatemala

CERIGUA DOCUMENTA ATAQUES CONTRA PERIODISTAS GUATEMALTECOS

Guatemala

LE CERIGUA DOCUMENTE LES ATTAQUES CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES GUATÉMALTÈQUES

Guatemala

CERIGUA DOCUMENTS ATTACKS ON GUATEMALAN JOURNALISTS

CERIGUA (Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala) has released a new report on the state of free expression in Guatemala which shows how dangerous it continues to be for journalists in the country.

Nicaragua

UN JOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉ

Nicaragua

PERIODISTA ASESINADO

Nicaragua

JOURNALIST MURDERED

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) are calling for an investigation into the murder of Rony Adolfo Olivas Olivas, a journalist who was shot dead on 14 August 2005 in Estelí, Nicaragua. The IFEX member says there is reason to believe he may have been targeted for reporting on drug trafficking.

Guatemala

LÍDER DEL CONGRESO APOYA PROYECTO DE LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN

Guatemala

UN DIRIGEANT DU CONGRÈS APPUIE LE PROJET DE LOI SUR L’ACCÈS À L’INFORMATION

Guatemala

CONGRESS LEADER SUPPORTS ACCESS TO INFORMATION BILL

The head of Guatemala's Congress has declared his support for a law guaranteeing citizens and journalists the right to access government information, reports the Center for Information on Guatemala (Centro de Reportes Informativos sobra Guatemala, CERIGUA).

Guatemala

LA COUR SUPRÊME SUSPEND LES LOIS SUR LES INSULTES

Guatemala

TOP COURT RULES AGAINST INSULT LAWS

Guatemala moved a step closer towards decriminalising press offences last week with a decision by the country's top court to temporarily suspend "desacato", or insult, provisions in the Penal Code, report the Guatemalan Association of Journalists (Asociación de Periodistas de Guatemala, APG), the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Costa Rica

REPORTEROS COSTARRICENSES GANAN PREMIO ANTICORRUPCIÓN

Costa Rica

DES REPORTERS COSTA-RICAINS REMPORTENT UNE RÉCOMPENSE DE LUTTE CONTRE LA CORRUPTION

Honduras

LA COUR SUPRÊME INVALIDE UNE DISPOSITION SUR LES « INSULTES »

Honduras

SUPREMA CORTE DEROGA ESTIPULACIÓN DE "INJURIA"

Costa Rica

COSTA RICAN REPORTERS WIN ANTI-CORRUPTION PRIZE

A team of investigative reporters at Costa Rica's daily newspaper "La Nación" have been awarded a journalism prize for revealing how foreign corporations illegally bribed three former Costa Rican presidents.

Honduras

SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN "INSULT" PROVISION

Honduras' highest court has ruled that a provision in the country's Penal Code which criminalises press offences is unconstitutional and should be repealed.

El Salvador

REFORMAS DE CONGRESO PROTEGEN CONFIDENCIALIDAD DE FUENTES DE PERIODISTAS

El Salvador

LES RÉFORMES DU CONGRÈS PROTÈGENT LA CONFIDENTIALITÉ DES SOURCES DES JOURNALISTES

El Salvador

CONGRESSIONAL REFORMS PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY OF JOURNALISTS' SOURCES

The right of journalists to protect their sources in El Salvador may soon become a reality following a decision by Congress to approve reforms to the country's criminal code, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Guatemala

UN JOURNALISTE EST TUÉ, UN AUTRE MENACÉ

Guatemala

PERIODISTA ASESINADO, OTRO AMENAZADO

Guatemala

JOURNALIST KILLED, ANOTHER THREATENED

Seven years after Guatemala's civil war ended with the signing of peace accords in 1996, the country remains dangerous for journalists. Last week, the leader of a journalists' association was murdered and a magazine reporter received death threats, reports Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA).

Panama

INSTAN A NUEVO GOBIERNO A REFORMAR LEYES DE DIFAMACIÓN

Panama

LE NOUVEAU GOUVERNEMENT EST PRIÉ DE RÉFORMER LES LOIS SUR LA DIFFAMATION

Panama

NEW LEGISLATORS URGED TO REFORM DEFAMATION LAWS

As Panama's new president, Martin Torrijos, takes up office this month, IFEX members are calling on the country's new government to approve constitutional reforms that would decriminalise defamation.

Costa Rica

LA COUR INTERAMÉRICAINE DES DROITS DE L'HOMME INVALIDE UNE CONDAMNATION EN DIFFAMATION

Costa Rica

CORTE INTERAMERICANA ANULA SENTENCIA POR DIFAMACIÓN

Costa Rica

INTER-AMERICAN COURT QUASHES DEFAMATION SENTENCE

The Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) has struck down a defamation sentence against Costa Rican journalist Mauricio Herrera Ulloa, ruling that the Costa Rican government violated the American Convention on Human Rights. The decision is binding on Costa Rica and could have implications for other Latin American countries with criminal defamation laws.

Guatemala

LE RAPPORTEUR SPÉCIAL DE L'OEA POUR LA LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION RENCONTRE DES JOURNALISTES GUATÉMALTÈQUES

Guatemala

RELATOR DE OEA SE REÚNE CON PERIODISTAS GUATEMALTECOS

Guatemala

OAS RAPPORTEUR MEETS WITH GUATEMALAN JOURNALISTS

For rural-based journalists in Guatemala, reporting the news can be a dangerous occupation in a country where attacks on the press are common and impunity rife. They can turn to the international community for protection, however. That was the message Eduardo Bertoni, the Organization of American States' Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, brought to journalists in Guatemala last month, reports CERIGUA.

Honduras

UN EXPERT DE L'OEA FAIT PRESSION POUR OBTENIR LA RÉFORME DES LOIS « DESACATO »

Honduras

EXPERTO DE OEA INSTA A REFORMA DE LEYES DE DESACATO

Honduras

OAS EXPERT URGES REFORM OF "DESACATO" LAWS

The Organisation of American States' (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, has urged the government of Honduras to repeal laws that penalise journalists and others who criticise public officials, reports Journalists Against Corruption (Periodistas Frente a la Corrupción, PFC).

Honduras

POLICÍA SEÑALA A SUPUESTOS ASESINOS DE PERIODISTA

Honduras

LA POLICE DÉSIGNE NOMMÉMENT LES ASSASSINS PRÉSUMÉS D'UN JOURNALISTE

Honduras

POLICE NAME JOURNALIST'S ALLEGED ASSASSINS

On 10 March 2004, the Honduras police revealed the names of the presumed killers of journalist Germán Rivas.The former host of the CMV Noticias news programme, broadcast on the Canal 7 television station, was assassinated on 26 November 2003 as he was heading to the station's offices in Santa Rosa de Copán, in western Honduras.

Costa Rica

TRIBUNAL INTERNACIONAL EXAMINA CASO DE DIFAMACIÓN

Costa Rica

UNE COUR INTERNATIONALE ENTEND UNE AFFAIRE DE DIFFAMATION

Nicaragua

UN JOURNALISTE EST ABATTU

Nicaragua

PERIODISTA MUERTO A TIROS

Nicaragua

JOURNALIST SHOT DEAD

Five IFEX members are calling for an investigation into the murder of Carlos José Guadamuz, a Nicaraguan journalist gunned down last week in broad daylight in the capital, Managua.

Costa Rica

UNE JOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉE

Costa Rica

REPORTERA ASESINADA

Costa Rica

REPORTER KILLED

Costa Rican authorities are investigating the motive behind the murder of reporter Ivannia Mora Rodríguez, who was shot and killed on 23 December, 2003, while driving her car in the town of Curridabat, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Honduras

UN JOURNALISTE EST ABATTU

Honduras

PERIODISTA BALEADO

Honduras

JOURNALIST GUNNED DOWN

In Honduras, where murders of journalists are almost unheard of, Germán Antonio Rivas was gunned down in the parking lot of his television station in Santa Rosa de Copán on 26 November, sparking outrage from IFEX members.

Guatemala

QUATRE JOURNALISTES SONT ENLEVÉS DANS UN CLIMAT D'INTIMIDATION

Guatemala

CUATRO PERIODISTAS SECUESTRADOS EN CLIMA DE INTIMIDACIÓN

Guatemala

FOUR JOURNALISTS KIDNAPPED AMID CLIMATE OF INTIMIDATION

Freedom of expression in Guatemala is under the spotlight this week, following the kidnapping of four Guatemalan journalists from the daily "Prensa Libre" by former paramilitary fighters in La Libertad.

Honduras

Relator de la OEA visitá Honduras

Honduras

OAS RAPPORTEUR TO VISIT HONDURAS

The Organization of American States' Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, will visit Honduras from 3 to 5 September to assess the state of free expression in the country and to promote the standards established by the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights.

Panama

LE RAPPORTEUR DE L'OEA DÉPOSE UN RAPPORT SUR LE PANAMA

Guatemala

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX ATTIRENT L'ATTENTION SUR LES AGRESSIONS CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES

Panama

OAS RAPPORTEUR ISSUES REPORT ON PANAMA

The Organization of American States' Rapporteur on Free Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, has called on the Panamanian government to immediately repeal all "desacato" or insult laws, saying, "It is wrong to deprive anyone of his/her liberty to express views about public officials."

Guatemala

IFEX MEMBERS CALL ATTENTION TO ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS

As Guatemala prepares for presidential elections in November, IFEX members are calling attention to an increasing number of attacks and threats against journalists. Journalists Against Corruption (Periodistas frente a la corrupción, PFC) says there have been 18 attacks in the past seven months, half of them occurring in June and July. Four of the cases involved members of the independent news agency Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA), whose director, Ileana Alamilla, heads the Association of Guatemalan Journalists' (APG) Press Freedom Committee.

El Salvador

ARTICLE 19 PRÉSENTE UN RAPPORT AUX NATIONS UNIES

Guatemala

RADIO JOURNALIST KILLED, ANOTHER THREATENED

The Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Journalists Association (Comisión de Libertad de Prensa de la Asociación de Periodistas de Guatemala, APG) has condemned the murder of radio journalist Milton Oswaldo Martínez, whose body was found in the department of Huehuetenango on 25 May.

Guatemala

MONTRE PEU D?EMPRESSEMENT À ENQUÊTER SUR LES AGRESSIONS CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES

Guatemala

GOBIERNO ES LENTO PARA INVESTIGAR ATAQUES CONTRA PERIODISTAS

Guatemala

GOV'T SLOW TO INVESTIGATE ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS

Guatemala continues to face a lack of political will to investigate attacks on journalists and end harassment of community broadcasters and print media, says the Press Freedom Commission of the Guatemalan Association of Journalists (Comision de Libertad de Prensa de la Asociacion de Periodistas de Guatemala, APG).

Guatemala

LES AUTORITÉS HARCÈLENT LA PRESSE INDÉPENDANTE

El Salvador

L?IMPUNITÉ EST GÉNÉRALISÉE, SELON UN RAPPORT ANNUEL

El Salvador

REINA LA IMPUNIDAD, DICE INFORME ANUAL

Guatemala

AUTORIDADES ACOSAN PRENSA INDEPENDIENTE

El Salvador

IMPUNITY RIFE, SAYS ANNUAL REPORT

Probidad, the El Salvador-based anti-corruption organisation which administers the regional initiative Journalists Against Corruption (Periodistas frente a la corrupción, PFC), has just released its 2002 survey of free expression in El Salvador.

Guatemala

AUTHORITIES HARASS INDEPENDENT PRESS

The Guatemalan Association of Journalists' Press Freedom Committee (Asociacion de Periodistas de Guatemala, APG), the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the Inter American Press Association have called on Guatemalan authorities to end harassment of the independent press, following reports that journalists received death threats for reporting on corruption and tax officials demanded that a newspaper publisher hand over its archived records.

Costa Rica

ASESINATO DE POPULAR PERIODISTA ESTÁ ENVUELTO EN SILENCIO

Costa Rica

LE SILENCE ENVELOPPE LE MEURTRE D?UN JOURNALISTE POPULAIRE

Costa Rica

SILENCE SURROUNDS MURDER OF POPULAR JOURNALIST

A year after popular Costa Rican radio journalist Parmenio Medina was shot and killed near his home in San José, a "silence" has descended on the investigation into his murder and journalists are afraid to conduct their own inquiries, says a new report issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Panama

PERIODISTA ABSUELTO DE DIFAMACIÓN

Guatemala

DICE QUE SITUACIÓN DE DERECHOS HUMANOS ES "GRAVE"

Panama

UN JOURNALISTE EST ACQUITTÉ D?UNE ACCUSATION DE DIFFAMATION

Guatemala

DES NATIONS UNIES JUGE ?SÉRIEUSE? LA SITUATION DES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE

Panama

JOURNALIST ACQUITTED OF SLANDER

Miguel Antonio Bernal, one of Panama's leading journalists, has been acquitted in a criminal defamation case that has once again focused attention on what the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls the country's notoriously restrictive press laws. On 29 May Judge Lorena Hernandez threw out slander charges filed against Bernal by former Police Director José Luis Sosa, a decision the Attorney General immediately announced it would appeal. Luis Sosa filed the charges in 1998 after Bernal stated in a television interview that the National Police should be held responsible for the death of four inmates at the Isla de Coiba prison, says CPJ. If convicted, Bernal could face two years in prison.

Guatemala

UN ENVOY SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION "SERIOUS"

The United Nations' Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders has declared Guatemala's human rights situation "serious" and demanded the government investigate paramilitary groups' threats against human rights workers, reports the Center of Informative Reports on Guatemala (Centro de Reportes Informativos Sobre Guatemala, CERIGUA).

Panama

CIDH ESCUCHA PREOCUPACIONES DE PERIODISTAS

Panama

L?IACHR ÉCOUTE LES DOLÉANCES DES JOURNALISTES

Panama

IACHR HEARS JOURNALISTS' CONCERNS

Threats against journalists in Panama - where close to 50 per cent of working reporters face defamation charges, fines and jail sentences - gained attention last week at a hearing convened by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington, D.C. Three journalists, supported by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Against Corruption (Periodistas Frente a la Corrupcion, PFC) and the Center for Justice and International Law (Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional, CEJIL),

Panama

SIP SALUDA NUEVA LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN

Panama

LA SIP SALUE LA NOUVELLE LOI SUR L'ACCÈS À L'INFORMATION

Panama

IAPA WELCOMES NEW ACCESS TO INFORMATION LAW

Panama has enacted a new law giving citizens free access to public records and penalizing government officials if they fail to comply with requests, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). Enacted on 22 January, the law states that "every individual or juridical person has the right to request information from government bodies." It also stipulates that if a government official does not provide such information within 30 days, they will be subject to a fine or dismissal.

Guatemala

COMPETENCIA DEL MERCADO AMENAZA LA RADIO COMUNITARIA

Honduras

REÇOIT DES MENACES À LA SUITE D'UN RAPPORT SUR LA LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION

Guatemala

LES LOIS DU MARCHÉ MENACENT LA RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE

Guatemala

MARKET COMPETITION THREATENS COMMUNITY RADIO

The Guatemalan government has announced plans to reopen a public auction for the granting of 14 radio broadcasting frequencies, despite recommendations by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that the government guarantee equal opportunity and access to all social sectors, report the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and CERIGUA (Centre of Informative Reports on Guatemala). AMARC says allowing public bidding on frequencies, whereby the highest bidder wins, excludes sectors of the population who are unable to compete on an equal economic footing.

Guatemala

SIP RECHAZA NUEVA LEY DE COLEGIACIÓN OBLIGATORIA

Guatemala

LA SIP REJETTE LA NOUVELLE LOI SUR L?IMMATRICULATION OBLIGATOIRE

Guatemala

IAPA REJECTS NEW MANDATORY LICENSING LAW

A new law requiring mandatory licensing of journalists should be scrapped because it eliminates the constitutional right to freedom of thought, says the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Guatemala

CIDH PROMETE EXAMINAR CONDICIONES DE PRENSA

Guatemala

L?IACHR PROMET D?EXAMINER LES CONDITIONS D?EXERCICE DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Guatemala

IACHR PROMISES TO EXAMINE PRESS CONDITIONS

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has promised to examine the situation of the press in Guatemala next January and demand that the government of Alfonso Portillo "put an end to the threats, intimidations and assassinations plaguing the press in Guatemala," reports CERIGUA (Centre of Informative Reports on Guatemala). The pledge follows the presentation of a report to IACHR by a delegation of Guatemalan organisations led by Asociacion de Periodistas de Guatemala (APG) and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).

Costa Rica

CORTE PRESTA AUXILIO EN CASO DE DIFAMACIÓN

Costa Rica

LE TRIBUNAL ACCORDE UN SURSIS DANS UN AFFAIRE DE DIFFAMATION

Costa Rica

COURT GRANTS RELIEF IN DEFAMATION CASE

In a landmark ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has intervened in a defamation suit launched against the daily newspaper "La Nacíon" by a former Costa Rican diplomat, granting the newspaper temporary relief in a freedom of expression case, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Guatemala

PERIODISTA ASESINADO MIENTRAS MISIÓN DE SIP SE REUNE CON FUNCIONARIOS GUBERNAMEN

Guatemala

UN JOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉ AU MOMENT OÙ LA MISSION DE LA SIP RENCONTRAIT DES R

Guatemala

JOURNALIST MURDERED AS IAPA MISSION MEETS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

Jorge Mynor Alegria, a radio journalist for Guatemala's Radio Amatique station, was murdered near his house in the port city of Puerto Barrios on 5 September 2001, report the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Guatemala

CONTINÚAN AMENAZAS E INTIMIDACIÓN CONTRA PERIODISTAS

Guatemala

MENACES ET MAN?UVRES D?INTIMIDATION INCESSANTES CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES

Guatemala

THREATS AND INTIMIDATION AGAINST JOURNALISTS CONTINUE

Journalists in Guatemala continue to face threats and, in some cases, actual violence, according to reports from the Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the Human Rights Section for Latin America of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Nicaragua

CRITICAN POLÍTICA PUBLICITARIA GUBERNAMENTAL

Nicaragua

SÉVÈRE CRITIQUE DE LA POLITIQUE PUBLICITAIRE DU GOUVERNEMENT

Nicaragua

PLEDGE TO UPHOLD PRESS FREEDOM; GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING POLICY CRITICISED

The three Nicaraguan presidential candidates for the upcoming November elections have unanimously pledged to uphold press freedom, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). Sandinista Front candidate Daniel Ortega, Enrique Bolaños of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party and the Conservative Party's Noel Vidaurre all signed the Declaration of Chapultepec on press freedom principles at former President Violeta Chamorro's home on 4 July. However, IAPA points out that Nicaragua currently complies with only three of the ten Chapultepec principles. Of particular concern to the organisation are the lack of access to public records, election campaign news blackouts and a new law requiring journalists to belong to a "colegio" (guild) in order to work legally.

Costa Rica

LOCUTOR DE RADIO ASESINADO; PREOCUPACIÓN POR AUTOCENSURA

Costa Rica

UN ANIMATEUR DE LA RADIO EST ASSASSINÉ

Costa Rica

RADIO HOST MURDERED; CONCERN OVER SELF-CENSORSHIP

Radio journalist Parmenio Medina was shot dead on 7 July in Costa Rica, a country where violent attacks against journalists are rare. Medina was returning from recording his radio programme, when he was shot outside his home in Santo Domingo de Heredia, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Human Rights Section for Latin America and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Medina, producer and host of the political satire radio programme "La Patada" (The Kick) broadcast by Radio Monumental in the capital San José, was known for his humorous criticism and exposure of corruption, says IAPA. The organisation adds that the Costa Rican government has condemned the murder and pledged full support for an investigation.

Panama

UNE PEINE DE SEIZE MOIS DE PRISON INFLIGÉE À UN JOURNALISTE

Panama

SENTENCIA DE CÁRCEL DE DIECISÉIS MESES EN ÚLTIMA ACCIÓN CONTRA PERIODISTAS

Panama

16-MONTH JAIL SENTENCE IN LATEST ACTION AGAINST JOURNALISTS

In the latest of many recent legal actions against Panamanian journalists, Marcelino Rodríguez was sentenced on 23 May to sixteen months in prison for "slander and damages," exchangeable for a fine of US$1,000, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The legal action against Rodríguez, formerly with the daily "El Siglo", was initiated by Alma Montenegro de Fletcher, attorney for the state, says RSF. In August 1998, the journalist incorrectly reported that Montenegro owned a property in the Panama Canal region, previously under American control. The journalist published a clarification, explaining that the authorities who oversee the region had refused to confirm or deny the information. Montenegro felt that her honour had come under attack because of these reports, says RSF.

Guatemala

PERIÓDICO ATACADO DESPUÉS DE INFORMES ACERCA DE CORRUPCIÓN EN GOBIERNO

Guatemala

APRÈS LA PUBLICATION DE REPORTAGES SUR LA CORRUPTION AU SEIN DU GOUVERNEMENT

Guatemala

NEWSPAPER UNDER ATTACK AFTER REPORTS ON GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION

The Guatemala City daily "elPeriodico" has been subjected to an angry mob attack on its offices, along with a radio and TV campaign against it, in the wake of its coverage of high-level government corruption, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), and Reporters sans frontières (RSF).

Nicaragua

UNE NOUVELLE LOI MENACE LA LIBERTÉ DES JOURNALISTES

Nicaragua

NEW LAW THREATENS JOURNALISTS' FREEDOM

Panama

LEYES MORDAZA SIGUEN EN VIGOR A PESAR DE PROMESA DE REFORMA

Panama

LES LOIS DE CENSURE DEMEURENT, MALGRÉ LES PROMESSES DE RÉFORME

Panama

GAG LAWS REMAIN DESPITE PROMISE OF REFORM

The Panamanian government has failed to reform its gag laws and is continuing to use these laws against journalists, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). Within in the last two weeks, two local journalists were sentenced to prison for "defaming public officials," says CPJ. The laws contain a wide range of articles concerning defamation and censorship. Under Article 386 of Panama's judicial code, the attorney general is granted with the "summary power to jail anyone who offends him for up to eight days" and those charged under this statute are denied the right to defend themselves.

Guatemala

LE CERIGUA REÇOIT DES MENACES DE MORT

Guatemala

AMENAZAN DE MUERTE A PERSONAL DE CERIGUA

Guatemala

CERIGUA RECEIVES DEATH THREATS

On 23 June, workers at the headquarters of the Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (Cerigua) received telephone death threats, according to information obtained by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). At approximately 1:50 pm, a female voice warned one of the reporters that "we know where you are and we're going to kill you."

Guatemala

RELATOR ESPECIAL DE OEA EVALÚA ESTADO DE LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Guatemala

ÉVALUE LA SITUATION DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Guatemala

OAS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ASSESSES STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM

While democratic advances have significantly contributed to the advance of free expression in Guatemala, the possible existence of a media monopoly of the country's television stations should be investigated, said Organisation of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur for Free Expression Santiago Canton. Canton was on a special visit to Guatemala at President Alfonso Portillo's invitation to investigate the state of free expression in the country, reports the Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Association of Journalists (APG). According to APG, the president extended the invitation to demonstrate that the government was not responsible for the recent closure of a television program on Canal 13 on 2 February.

Guatemala

CORRESPONSAL DE NOTICIAS ASESINADO

Panama

LE CONSEIL DES MINISTRES APPROUVE UNE MODIFICATION À LA LOI DE CENSURE

Panama

GABINETE APRUEBA ENMIENDA A LEY MORDAZA

Panama

PARLIAMENT APPROVES AMENDMENT TO GAG LAW

On 28 July, only two days after withdrawing a proposed amendment to the 1978 gag law, the Panamanian Cabinet approved an amendment to the law which the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) criticises as "only slightly different." A 30 July editorial in the Panama City-based daily "La Prensa" calls the new bill "the same injection with a different needle." The government's new proposal is expected to reach the Legislative Assembly early this week. CPJ says, "It is better than the first proposal in some respects, but worse in others."

Panama

USAN LEYES MORDAZA CONTRA PERIODISTAS

Panama

LES LOIS QUI BÂILLONNENT LA PRESSE SERVENT CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES

Panama

GAG LAWS USED AGAINST JOURNALISTS

The government of Panama is using gag laws to limit press freedom and punish journalists, in order to stifle debate prior to the 2 May presidential elections, says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In a 4 March letter sent to Panamanian President Ernesto Pérez Balladares, CPJ expressed alarm over the escalating enforcement of the laws, which were enacted during the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s. CPJ called on the President "to eliminate the gag laws, which establish prison terms for defamation, permit prior censorship, grant the government the right to regulate who may practice journalism, and criminalise criticism of the president and other officials." CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper writes, "The fact that such laws are on the books in Panama is of grave concern. Even more alarming is that a democratically elected head of state would use such laws to stifle public debate."