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Attacks Against Journalists Continue in Latin America More than 200 journalists have been assassinated in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last decade, states the October edition of IAPA's 2000 annual report on freedom of the press. According to Rafael Molina, president of the group's Freedom of Information Commission, between March and October of this year alone, eight journalists were killed in the course of their work: three in Mexico, two in Colombia, and one each in Guatemala, Paraguay and Haiti. Many others were kidnapped or forced into exile. "In many countries in the region, attempts continue to silence the voices that, through the press, try to keep alive the right to free and uncensored access to and reporting of information," Molina said. In the last year, the IAPA filed 18 formal protests against Latin American governments and authorities. Cuba has one of the worst records for freedom of the press: three journalists are in jail, strict controls are enforced on independent and foreign media, and the denial of basic rights to journalists "has not improved under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro," Molina said. He claimed that the IAPA's website has helped independent journalists communicate with each other both on and off the island. Another country that lacks protections for journalists is Colombia, the Miami Herald pointed out recently. In the last six months, two journalists were assassinated, 17 were victims of violence, five left the country after receiving death threats and four were kidnapped. The paper praised the IAPA for demanding that the Colombian government offer minimal guarantees for journalists' safety and hold accountable those responsible for attacks against them. "Civil society in Colombia cannot lose its voice," the Herald said in an editorial. "The media often acts as the voice of Colombians to protest corruption, crime and bloodshed by drug traffickers, guerrillas and paramilitaries." The IAPA cited Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, Guatemala and Chile as countries that are drafting laws "that threaten and restrict free journalistic practices." In particular, the Brazilian and Chilean congresses are considering so-called gag laws that would prohibit public officials, police officers and members of the judiciary from providing information to the press. Guatemala is studying a proposed "official secrets" law that would give officials discretionary powers to decide which information should become public knowledge and which should remain secret. Despite these examples, the IAPA reports progress toward greater press freedoms in several countries. In Peru, for instance, the press was among the factors that pressured President Alberto Fujimori to call for new elections next spring. And in the Dominican Republic, proposed legislation could result in improved guarantees for journalists. On the whole, however, freedom of the press in Latin America has not improved substantially in recent years. The IAPA's work may have contributed to progress in some areas, but many factors continue to impede free and balanced news coverage.
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