Miami (May 19, 2026) — The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) warns with concern about a series of attacks against journalists recorded in recent days in Bolivia during news coverage of social protests in different areas of the country. The hemispheric organization urges that safe conditions be guaranteed for press work.
In one week, more than 10 journalists were attacked and injured while covering demonstrations and episodes of social tension in different regions of the country, in a new scenario of hostility affecting the practice of journalism, the news agency Agencia de Noticias Fides (ANF) denounced.
Among other cases, journalists Vladimir Rojas, from Unitel, and Ramiro Charca, from Radio Televisión Popular (RTP), were injured on May 16 in the locality of Lipari, municipality of Mecapaca, because of an ambush organized by blockaders operating from elevated areas, according to information from the National Press Association (ANP). Rojas was violently detained and his equipment was destroyed, while Charca suffered injuries due to the impact of stones. Other press teams were also harassed, and media vehicles were damaged.
The IAPA expressed concern over violence against independent journalism during the protests demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz. The organization issued an alert following the injuries suffered by cameraman Hugo Machicado, from Gigavisión, due to the impact of dynamite in incidents on May 18 in La Paz. Attacks with stones, sticks, and tear gas were also reported, in addition to verbal harassment against other journalists. This situation shows the growing risk faced by media workers in the exercise of their profession, according to local media reports.
IAPA President Pierre Manigault stated that “these attacks are unacceptable and constitute a violation of press freedom. No journalist should be attacked for carrying out their work of informing the public.” Manigault, president of Evening Post Publishing Inc., in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, emphasized that “journalistic work must be carried out under safe conditions, without threats, attacks, or restrictions.”
For her part, the Chair of the Commission on Press Freedom and Information, Martha Ramos, stated that “violence against journalists during coverage of social protests seeks to silence information on events of clear public interest.” Ramos, chair of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information and editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), added that “authorities have the obligation to guarantee safe conditions for press work.”
The monitoring unit of the National Press Association has reported an increase in attacks and assaults in the context of protests promoted by social and union sectors, mostly aligned with former president Evo Morales.
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.