During this period, journalists from Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname were affected by acts of violence and government restrictions on the press' access to official information of public interest.
On October 26, unknown assailants opened fire at Radio LIM FM in the city of Paramaribo, Suriname, which is also home to owner Clifton Limburg. According to media reports, Limburg, former president Desi Bouterse's spokesperson, is critical of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi's administration on his show "Bakana Tori." The journalist said he did not know who the aggressors could have been and would not be intimidated.
On September 11, an unknown gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in the parking lot of Nationwide Radio's offices in Kingston, Jamaica. No one was injured. Two vehicles were damaged in the shooting, one with four bullet holes and a passenger side window shattered. Local press freedom groups condemned the attack, including the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM). The cause remained unclear, and police launched an investigation.
In May, a supporter of Jamaica's opposition People's National Party (PNP) threatened a female journalist with sexual assault and another journalist with insults while covering a demonstration at the party's headquarters in Kingston.
Jamaica fell 20 places in the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index. The decline is attributed to political and legal setbacks by the government during the pandemic years. Jamaica also dropped positions in the 2023 edition of the Chapultepec Index compared to 2022.
In Guyana, female journalists were victims of different types of attacks, including harassment on social networks, intimidation, and direct insults. Violence against journalists usually comes from official and opposition politicians. On March 31, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali held a press conference in which journalists were forced to sit among supporters of his party. Journalists were verbally intimidated when asking questions about sensitive topics, such as Davina Bagot, a reporter for Kaieteur News, who questioned the president about his energy policies. Days later, Bagot was harassed on a Facebook page.
Nazima Raghubir became the first woman to chair the Guyana Press Association (GPA) in 2018. After being re-elected this year, she was the victim of cyberbullying and personal attacks both in state-controlled media and on Facebook pages. Raghubir considered the attacks part of a government campaign to discredit independent media and journalists.
Journalists from most Anglo-Caribbean countries denounce that access to information laws is insufficient and inefficient.
