WHEREAS journalism continued to be attacked with lawsuits to criminalize it, a judicial persecution that is common in countries throughout the Americas
WHEREAS journalism continued to be attacked with lawsuits to criminalize it, a judicial persecution that is common in countries throughout the Americas
WHEREAS pressure was also exerted against journalism through civil lawsuits with disproportionate multi-million dollar claims, which creates an inhibitory environment in the press
WHEREAS in Ecuador, several journalists were the target of legal actions and lawsuits by officials and public figures
WHEREAS in Guatemala, legal and judicial persecution against the press continues, the most emblematic cases being that of José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, as well as that of journalists Juan Luis Font and Diego España of La Hora
WHEREAS, while the College of Journalists of Honduras denounced the 'growing judicialization, intimidation, and escalation of attacks' from the government, and that the military high command promoted legal actions to compel the media to disclose their sources
WHEREAS in Mexico, a lawsuit was filed against the newspaper Noroeste, from Culiacán, Sinaloa, for alleged damage to the personal image of a former university official, who is demanding compensation for "40 percent of the sales of the printed newspaper […] in which his photos were published"
WHEREAS in Panama, lawsuits and civil suits with multi-million-dollar compensation against independent media and journalists continue to be the most used method by authorities to inhibit the press
WHEREAS in Paraguay, people who were acquitted in tax, corruption, and drug trafficking cases are filing habeas data petitions to remove news that affected them from digital platforms
WHEREAS in Peru, the Public Prosecutor's Office has opened investigations against journalists investigating criminals and public officials
WHEREAS the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes that "no news media nor journalist may be punished for publishing the truth, criticizing, or denouncing the government," and the Declaration of Salta II Principles of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age states that governments should not "penalize criticism, information, or protest against public officials or individuals who voluntarily expose themselves to public scrutiny on matters of public interest."
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES
To denounce using legal tools to file criminal, civil, and administrative complaints against journalists and media outlets to intimidate them and inhibit their reporting.
To urge judges to consider jurisprudence and inter-American standards that warn against the abuse of lawsuits against journalists and media outlets before admitting them quickly and indiscriminately.
