Americas

  
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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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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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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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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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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Freelance journalist Bryan Carmody, left, is seen with his attorney, Thomas Burke, at a panel event held by the Society of Professional Journalists in San Francisco on August 13, 2019. Police raided Carmody's home and office in May while investigating the leak of a report on the death of a San Francisco public defender. (AP/Juliet Williams)

Carmody case shows grave police overreach, say lawyers

Bryan Carmody, a breaking news stringer who frequently worked the police beat in San Francisco, woke on May 10 to the sound of a sledgehammer at the metal gate securing his front door. Law enforcement agents investigating the leak of internal police documents were attempting to discover his source, CPJ reported at the time.

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is seen in Brasilia on November 12, 2019. On November 8, Bolsonaro enacted a "slanderous denunciation" law under Brazil's electoral code. (Reuters/Adriano Machado)

Brazilian electoral law criminalizes sharing allegations against politicians

Rio de Janeiro, November 14, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a law enacted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that criminalizes slander under the electoral code.

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CPJ, RSF call on Haitian authorities to investigate attacks on journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders urge Haitian authorities to take steps necessary to guarantee independent and comprehensive investigations into all cases of violence against journalists, and communicate the results to the public in a timely manner.

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A demonstrator gestures during a protest in La Paz on November 9, 2019. Several news outlets were attacked and threatened over the weekend, following unrest that led to the resignation of President Evo Morales. (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach)

Bolivian news outlets attacked, threatened amid unrest as Morales resigns

New York, November 11, 2019—Several news outlets in Bolivia were attacked or threatened and at least four had to temporarily cease broadcasting over the weekend, following weeks of uncertainty and protests over contested October 20 elections that led yesterday to President Evo Morales announcing his resignation.

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People transport motorcycles on a boat crossing the Magdalena river in Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia, in September 2017. Attackers set fire to a boat that a journalist in Simití used to report on remote communities along the river. (AFP/Luis Acosta)

Attackers burn boat journalist uses to report in Colombia’s remote regions

Bogotá, November 8, 2019—Colombian authorities should immediately investigate an arson attack against a journalist in northern Colombia and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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