Americas

  
Reports
Flowers cover the coffin of Mexican journalist Jorge Celestino Ruiz Vazquez, who was killed in Veracruz in August. Ruiz is one of at least five journalists murdered in retaliation for their work in Mexico in 2019. (Reuters/Oscar Martinez)

Number of journalists killed falls sharply as reprisal murders hit record low

As wars subsided and a record low number of journalists were murdered in reprisal for reporting, the total number of journalists killed because of their work fell sharply in 2019. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

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Features & Analysis
Flowers and crosses bear the names of journalists and human rights defenders murdered in the first three months since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office, in Mexico City in February 2019. At least two of the journalists murdered for their work in 2019 were enrolled in a safety protection mechanism. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

When it comes to protecting journalists, Mexico’s safety mechanism comes up short

Gildo Garza sighs when he speaks of the institution that is supposed to protect him. “I feel disappointed, depressed, desperate, and alone,” he said. “I no longer have any hope in a system that was supposed to help me build up a new life or get my old life back.”

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Statements
The headquarters of Brazilian television network Rede Globo is seen in Rio de Janeiro on May 3, 2018. Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella has barred Globo reporters from covering his press conferences. (Reuters/Pilar Olivares)

Rio mayor’s office bars Globo journalists from press conference

Rio de Janeiro, December 13, 2019 — Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella must allow reporters from all news outlets to cover his office’s press conferences, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alerts
Journalist Luz Escobar has been repeatedly barred from leaving her home in Havana by security agents standing in her doorway. (Photo via Luz Escobar)

Cuban journalist Luz Escobar repeatedly barred from leaving her home

Miami, December 12, 2019 — Cuban authorities should stop barring journalist Luz Escobar from leaving her home, and cease harassing independent journalists in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alerts
The destroyed antenna of Brazilian local broadcaster Aliança FM is seen in Choró, Ceará state. Police are investigating the attack on the antenna. (Image via Marcolino Borges)

Brazilian radio station antenna destroyed in arson attack

Rio de Janeiro, December 12, 2019 — Brazilian authorities must thoroughly investigate the arson attack against broadcaster radio Aliança FM and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Reports
A June 5, 2019, photo shows a "media interview area" for reporters set up near the Idkah mosque on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, when Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan, in Kashgar, in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. China was the world’s leading jailer of journalists in 2019, with at least 48 in prison. (AFP/Greg Baker)

China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt are world’s worst jailers of journalists

For the fourth consecutive year, at least 250 journalists are imprisoned globally as authoritarians like Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi show no signs of letting up on the critical media. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

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Features & Analysis
A demonstrator dressed as a whistle protests outside of a London court holding a hearing on the U.S. extradition case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in October 2019. (Reuters/Henry Nicholls)

For the sake of press freedom, Julian Assange must be defended

Nine years ago this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists took a stand on one of the most polarizing figures in journalism. We wrote President Barack Obama and his attorney general, Eric Holder, urging them not to prosecute Julian Assange.

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Case
An inmate is seen in a prison in Porto Velho, Rondônia state, Brazil, on August 28, 2015. A Rondônia court recently sentenced two journalists to suspended jail terms for defamation. (Reuters/Nacho Doce)

Brazilian electoral court sentences 2 journalists to suspended jail time for defamation

On November 21, 2019, Brazilian regional news website Planeta Folha published a report uncovering a previously unreported criminal defamation lawsuit against journalists Donizete Bernardo dos Santos and Josias Brito da Silva.

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Alerts
A soldier patrols the shores of Puerto Cortes, in the Honduran Caribbean, in the lead up to a hurricane in August 2016. Gunmen killed the TV host of a show on Puerto Visión, in the Honduran city, on November 25, 2019. (AFP/Orlando Sierra)

Honduran TV host José Arita shot dead in Puerto Cortés

Amsterdam, November 27, 2019— The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the killing of TV host José Arita in northern Honduras, and urged authorities to conduct a credible and exhaustive investigation into the killing and bring those responsible to justice.

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Alerts
Police are seen in Santiago, Chile, on November 6, 2019. Police are investigating the recent killing of journalist Albertina Martínez Burgos in Santiago. (Reuters/Jorge Silva)

Chilean journalist Albertina Martínez Burgos found dead in Santiago

Miami, November 26, 2019 — Chilean authorities should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Albertina Martínez Burgos, determine if the attack was related to her work, and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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