Searching for answers in murder cases amid violence and corruption in Guatemala
On June 25, unidentified assailants shot and killed Álvaro Aceituno López, director of Radio Ilusión in Coatepeque, a town in southeastern Guatemala. López often criticized local government officials when presenting the news and during guest appearances on other programs. But to date, CPJ has been unable to determine if Aceituno was killed for his work…
Transition to Trump: First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams on Trump’s power over libel laws
As a new presidential administration prepares to take over the U.S., CPJ examines the status of press freedom, including the challenges journalists face from surveillance, harassment, limited transparency, the questioning of libel laws, and other factors.
Turkey’s crackdown propels number of journalists in jail worldwide to record high
At least 81 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, all of them facing anti-state charges, in the wake of an unprecedented crackdown that has included the shuttering of more than 100 news outlets. The 259 journalists in jail worldwide is the highest number recorded since 1990. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser
Radio reporter murdered in Mexico
Mexico City, December 12, 2016–Police in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua should conduct a full and credible investigation into the murder of Jesús Adrián Rodríguez Samaniego, a reporter for the radio stations Antena 102.5 FM and Antena 760 AM, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Rodríguez was fatally shot on December 10, his…
Press freedom on OGP agenda as authoritarianism rises
There was poignancy to the Paris summit of the Open Government Partnership, as leaders from government and civil society took the stage to defend a political ideology under siege: liberal democracy. French President François Hollande, who amid weak public support announced he will not seek re-election in 2017, called democracy “so fragile and so precious.”…
Security risk for sources as US border agents stop and search journalists
French-American photojournalist Kim Badawi did not go home to Texas for Thanksgiving this year. He didn’t want to risk a repeat of November last year, when he says U.S. border security detained him at Miami airport and interrogated him in minute detail about his private life, political views, and journalistic sources.
Cartel plots to shoot at offices of Mexico’s Zeta magazine
November 30, 2016–The Committee to Protect Journalists urged authorities today to ensure the safety of journalists working at the Tijuana-based weekly Zeta. The Mexican magazine is currently under police protection after authorities learned of a plot by a cartel to attack the office.
Dutch journalist Okke Ornstein jailed in Panama for criminal defamation
New York, November 29, 2016–Authorities in Panama should immediately release Dutch journalist Okke Ornstein, who has been detained since November 15, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Ornstein, a Panama-based journalist who runs the news website Bananama Republic, was arrested in relation to a 2012 criminal defamation conviction when he arrived at Panama City…