Photo: Julieta Long.
Punta Cana (October 17, 2025) – Within the framework of the 81st General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), journalists from various Latin American countries shared their experiences and the challenges they face in carrying out their work amid contexts of violence, corruption, and judicial persecution.
In the panel “Journalism Under Harassment in Hostile Territories,” moderated by Carlos Jornet, Haitian journalist Joseph Guyler Delva, known for his defense of press and expression freedom, spoke about the alarming situation of the media in his country. The IAPA recently helped facilitate Delva’s departure from Haiti due to imminent threats to his life.
“The government is determined to silence the press. They don’t want the truth to be known, and that’s why journalists are a problem,” Delva stated. He also said that the executive branch uses state funds to finance people who discredit and defame journalists. “Several journalists, myself included, have been accused of being linked to gangs. They spread those messages to discredit the press so that we won’t be taken seriously,” he added.
From Peru, Rodrigo Salazar Zimmermann, executive director of the Peruvian Press Council (CPP), described a landscape of violence and judicial harassment amid a highly unstable political environment. “In Peru, we have a sort of black hole in politics and a corrupt, criminal current linked to organized crime. In that context, journalists are unprotected,” he said.
Salazar Zimmermann added that around 30 lawsuits are filed against journalists each year, 80% of them promoted by public officials or their relatives. Some reporters face cases that drag on for more than seven years, creating an intimidating and exhausting effect.
Mariano Sandoval, New Business Manager of Prensa Libre in Guatemala, warned that accusations and judicial processes against journalists and media continue, led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. He highlighted in particular the case of José Rubén Zamora, detained in July 2022, who still cannot fully exercise his defense amid a deliberately slow and opaque legal process.
“Guatemala is on the verge of becoming ungovernable. Unfortunately, the press and freedom of expression are being affected. In several areas of the country, there is no state protection or guarantees for journalistic work,” said Sandoval.
In the panel “Judicialization and Censorship,” moderated by Martha Ramos, Sebastián Pastor, executive director of Televicentro, Honduras, described a situation of democratic weakening and growing self-censorship in his country, where legal proceedings are used as weapons to intimidate the media and journalists. He recalled that over the past two decades, more than 100 journalists have been killed, and 88% of the cases remain unsolved.
“There is no deep civic awareness about the importance of freedom of expression and of the press as the cornerstone of all freedoms and a crucial element of democracy,” Pastor stated.
Rita Vásquez, from La Prensa of Panama, denounced the economic impact of multimillion-dollar lawsuits for libel and defamation, which already amount to around $60 million. “Those resources could have been used to do good journalism, but instead they go to legal defense,” she said. Vásquez warned of the government’s tendency to punish critical media and condition state advertising.
Luciano Pascoe, from TV Azteca in Mexico, warned that judicialization seeks to silence voices critical of the majority regime through harassment, public exposure, and violence against journalists. “We are at risk; we must be more united than ever. We will keep fighting. We are here, and we will stay here,” he said, closing the panel.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.