Miami (June 5, 2025) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) celebrates the recent ruling by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica as an important precedent in defense of press freedom and journalists' right to work without discrimination or stigmatization by public authorities.
The Constitutional Court, known as the Sala IV, ruled unanimously in favor of three local journalists in two constitutional appeals filed against the government of President Rodrigo Chaves, alleging violations of press freedom and the right to access information, according to press reports.
In the first case, journalist Guzmán Suárez reported that on July 30, 2024, while attending a press conference on the “Jaguar Law,” the President abruptly interrupted him and raised his voice to prevent him from continuing with his question. Similarly, on September 11 of the same year, journalists Bolaños Acuña and Chavarría Hernández, from Radio Interferencia and Doble Check, were surrounded by agents of the Presidential Protection Unit inside the Presidential Palace as they attempted to ask follow-up questions to the President and the Minister of the Presidency regarding the 4x3 workweek bill, according to local press reports.
The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the journalists in both cases, considering that press freedom had been violated. In the first case, the Court ordered the State to pay court costs and damages, which will be determined by the administrative litigation court. In the second case, involving the interruption of journalist Guzmán Suárez, the Court also ruled in favor of the plaintiff but limited the condemnation to the Ministry of the Presidency without ordering financial compensation and exonerated the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
This judicial decision confirms what an IAPA mission verified during a visit to the country this past January, which revealed a "worrying deterioration in the environment for press freedom," including government practices of stigmatizing critical media and journalists. The mission also documented how official discourse has created a climate of hostility and self-censorship in certain newsrooms.
The IAPA had already welcomed a previous decision by the same court, issued in May 2023, in which the Constitutional Court stated that “certain expressions and terms used by public officials are unjustified and constitute an excess, which could incite harassment against the referenced media and journalists.” The Costa Rican court had upheld an appeal by Jason Ureña, a journalist from the digital newspaper CRHoy, over verbal attacks made by President Chaves and then Health Minister Joselyn Chacón during a press conference in January that year. The president referred to the attending reporters—including those from La Nación and Teletica—as “political hitmen.”
“This ruling by the Constitutional Court not only brings justice to the affected journalists but also marks a regional milestone against stigmatization from those in power. It is a key precedent to protect press freedom in democratic contexts facing authoritarian rhetoric,” said IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz, CEO and general director of La Prensa Gráfica of El Salvador.
For her part, the Chair of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Martha Ramos, editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana, emphasized: “Costa Rica has a democratic tradition that is strengthened today with this ruling. It sends a clear message to all of Latin America: governments cannot silence those who ask uncomfortable questions.”
In its recent midyear meeting held in April 2025, the IAPA approved a special resolution against the stigmatization of journalists by those in power, warning about the growing use of stigmatizing rhetoric by public officials to discredit media and reporters. It urged governments to refrain from practices that could incite hatred or violence against the press. The case of Costa Rica was cited as a troubling example of this trend.
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.