Americas

  
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is seen in Brasilia on March 20, 2020. Bolsonaro recently passed a provisional regulation restricting access to public records. (Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

Brazil restricts access to government information amid COVID-19 emergency

Rio de Janeiro, March 26, 2020 — Brazilian authorities should not use the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to restrict access to government information, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Ultra-Orthodox Jewish girls wear face masks during celebrations of the Purim festival in Bnei Brak, Israel, on March 10, 2020. CPJ recently spoke with Laura Adkins, an Orthodox Jewish editor at the Jewish Telegraph Agency. (AP/Oded Balilty)

Q&A: Covering the coronavirus outbreak in the Orthodox Jewish community

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Laura E. Adkins edited opinion pieces for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a syndicated nonprofit wire service that runs articles in Jewish publications. But as the virus has taken root in a number of Jewish communities in the United States and around the world, Adkins, who is based in New York and…

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Bolivarian National Guards use a water cannon to spray disinfectant as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, March 21, 2020. (AP/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan journalist arrested by special forces following coronavirus coverage

Miami, March 22, 2020 — Venezuelan authorities must immediately release journalist Darvinson Rojas and ensure that the media can cover the coronavirus outbreak in the country without fear of retribution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Soldiers wearing face masks are seen in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on March 17, 2020. The Honduran government recently declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak, and suspended the right to free expression. (Reuters/Jorge Cabrera)

Honduran government declares state of emergency, suspends right to free expression

New York, March 18, 2020 — Honduran authorities must immediately lift newly imposed restrictions on free expression and let members of the press cover the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Members of the Bolivarian National Guard wearing face masks are seen in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 17, 2020. Journalists have recently been harassed and detained over their reporting on the virus. (AFP/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan authorities arrest, threaten journalists reporting on COVID-19

On March 13, 2020, police in the Venezuelan city of Los Teques arrested Jesús Enrique Torres and Jesús Manuel Castillo, hosts of a news program on local privately owned radio broadcaster La Cima, after they posted a video to Facebook, where they sometimes publish their reporting, about alleged coronavirus cases at a local hospital, according…

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CPJ calls on Canadian police to allow journalists to freely cover matters of public interest

CPJ writes to the commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to express concern at the treatment of journalists covering protests against the construction of a gas pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory, and to urge that the RCMP allow them to do their job and report freely on matters of public interest.

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National Police officers are seen in Managua, Nicaragua, on August 24, 2019. National Police have been surveilling and harassing journalist Emiliano Chamorro. (AP/Alfredo Zuniga)

Nicaraguan journalist Emiliano Chamorro faces police harassment and surveillance

Beginning in 2019, Nicaraguan National Police officers have surveilled and harassed Emiliano Chamorro, director of the digital news outlet El Portavoz Ciudadano and a former reporter at the daily La Prensa, and his family, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview.

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Police are seen in Guatemala City on August 31, 2018. Journalist Bryan Guerra was recently shot and killed in Guatemala. (AP/Moises Castillo)

Guatemalan journalist Bryan Guerra shot dead in Chiquimula

New York, March 6, 2020 — Guatemalan authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Bryan Guerra, determine if it was related to his journalism, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Supporters of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega shout slogans at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua, on March 3, 2020. Government supporters attacked several journalists covering a funeral at the church. (Reuters/Oswaldo Rivas)

Government supporters attack journalists covering funeral in Nicaragua

Amsterdam, March 5, 2020 — Nicaraguan authorities should thoroughly investigate attacks on reporters covering the funeral of writer and poet Ernesto Cardenal and ensure the safety of journalists who report on events of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The U.S. State Department Building is seen in Washington, D.C., on January 26, 2017. The department announced today that it was capping the number of visas given to Chinese state media employees. (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

US to limit visas at Chinese state media outlets, forcing dozens to leave

Washington, D.C., March 2, 2020 — The U.S. government should immediately suspend efforts to effectively expel dozens of Chinese journalists and put a halt to mutual retaliation over media operations, which threatens to undermine the free flow of information as the COVID-19 epidemic spreads throughout the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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