Its president, Fernando Castillo Víquez, accepted the award on behalf of the institution.
Bogotá, Colombia (October 23, 2026) – The Constitutional Chamber of Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice received the 2026 Chapultepec Grand Prize today during the 82nd General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) in Bogotá, Colombia. Its president, Fernando Castillo Víquez, accepted the award on behalf of the institution.
The award recognizes the Chamber’s role in protecting freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the right of access to public information, as well as its defense of pluralism and judicial independence as fundamental guarantees of democracy.
During the award presentation, IAPA President Pierre Manigault emphasized that, through its rulings, the Chamber has reaffirmed that journalists must be able to carry out their work without arbitrary restrictions or harassment, and that access to public information cannot depend on the preferences of those in power.
“Freedom of the press is not a privilege granted to journalists, but a fundamental right that belongs to society as a whole,” Manigault said.
Upon receiving the award, Castillo Víquez stated: “I accept this award on behalf of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Costa Rica. I do so with humility, but also with a deep sense of responsibility, confident that this court will continue to serve as a beacon across the Americas, illuminating the path toward the effective defense of fundamental rights, including access to public information, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.”
The Chapultepec Grand Prize is the IAPA’s highest distinction. It honors individuals and institutions whose actions uphold the principles of the Chapultepec Declaration, adopted in 1994 in defense of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
