The form is available at this link
Miami (November 15, 2024) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) announced today the creation of the Latin American Network for Journalism in Exile (RELPEX, by its Spanish acronym). This program aims to assist journalists in situations of exile, displacement, or forced mobility due to persecution for their work, supporting the continuity of their reporting and facilitating the exchange of information on this issue. Additionally, the network will support media outlets that have had to relocate their editorial teams to other countries due to harassment by authoritarian regimes.
In recent years, the IAPA has documented a sustained increase in the number of journalists forced into exile from countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, and Ecuador, or who are compelled to move within their own countries, as seen in Mexico and Colombia. Dozens of Latin American journalists are forced to move or emigrate due to violence, threats, and persecution by criminal groups, corrupt officials, and authoritarian governments. Similarly, several media outlets have been closed or forced to shut down their offices in their home countries, relocating operations abroad.
"The IAPA's commitment is to freedom of expression without limits or borders. However, every time a journalist is forced to go into exile or relocate due to threats to their safety, the purpose of those seeking to silence them is devastatingly fulfilled," said Carlos Lauría, Executive Director of the IAPA.
The Network was created in response to the issue of exile and displacement of journalists across the continent, fueled by the spread of anti-democratic regimes. The IAPA has made this issue a priority and has been working intensively since creating a subcommittee on journalism in exile to oversee these initiatives. The subcommittee is chaired by Juan Lorenzo Holmann, General Manager of the newspaper La Prensa in Nicaragua (shut down by the Daniel Ortega regime but still operating online from abroad).
During IAPA's General Assembly last October, the IAPA awarded Journalism in Exile the 2024 Grand Prize for Press Freedom, its highest honor, in tribute to Latin American journalists and media who, under extreme risk and adversity, continue to uphold freedom of expression and their commitment to truth.
"Journalism in exile is a priority for the organization given the worsening situation in recent years," said IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz. "We hope this initiative will serve as a vehicle to join forces with organizations that already have programs designed to support journalism in exile or in situations of displacement," added Dutriz, President and CEO of La Prensa Gráfica in El Salvador.
RELPEX begins with seed funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and has started collaborating with DW Akademie, UNESCO, and the Press and Freedom of Expression Institute (IPLEX) of Costa Rica, among other organizations. Together, they are developing a platform, which will be available on the website periodismolibre.org, where journalists in mobility can find information on specific programs and support.
The information about RELPEX's work will also be shared on social media: on X as @RELPEX, on LinkedIn as RELPEX Red Latinoamericana de Periodismo en el Exilio, and on Instagram as @RELPEX_SIP.
In its first year, RELPEX will also launch an employment program benefiting up to 10 Latin American journalists who will be hired by media outlets in the countries to which they have relocated.
RELPEX is coordinated by Salvadoran journalist Mariana Belloso, IAPA's project manager for media at risk. Those interested in registering for the network can fill out a form available at this link.
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.
