WHEREAS between October 2025 and April 2026, press freedom in the region has presented a mixed landscape, with limited progress amid multiple and persistent challenges
IAPA Midyear Meeting. April 23 - 24, 2026.
WHEREAS between October 2025 and April 2026, press freedom in the region has presented a mixed landscape, with limited progress amid multiple and persistent challenges
WHEREAS in addition to the killings of journalists in Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru, and the kidnapping of two reporters in Haiti, assaults, threats, judicial harassment, stigmatization, and smear campaigns targeting media outlets and journalists —particularly women and critical voices— have been recorded in Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela
WHEREAS these acts constitute serious violations of press freedom and directly affect the independent practice of journalism
WHEREAS these practices generate a chilling effect that may lead to self-censorship, restrict journalistic work, and weaken society’s right to receive plural, independent, and timely information
WHEREAS such aggressions disproportionately impact women journalists and critical voices, deepening structural inequalities and limiting the diversity of public debate
WHEREAS the improper use of judicial mechanisms or stigmatizing discourse to discredit or silence the press undermines democratic principles and the rule of law
WHEREAS the persistence of these phenomena underscores the urgent need to strengthen guarantees for the protection of journalists and to promote a safe and enabling environment for the free exercise of freedom of expression
WHEREAS the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes in its fourth principle that the murder, kidnapping, intimidation, pressures, unjust imprisonment of journalists, violence of any kind, and the impunity of perpetrators severely restrict freedom of expression and press freedom, and that such acts must be promptly investigated and severely sanctioned
WHEREAS the Declaration of Salta II provides that States must guarantee, in the digital environment, a space free of violence, threats, and attacks against those who carry out journalistic work, and that such aggression must be investigated and sanctioned diligently, considering journalistic activity as a possible motive.
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES
To strongly condemn acts of violence, threats, judicial harassment, stigmatization, and smear campaigns directed against journalists and media outlets
To urge authorities to prevent, promptly, independently, and effectively investigate, and sanction those responsible for such conduct, ensuring comprehensive protection for journalists and media workers
To call on public officials to refrain from issuing statements that stigmatize or discredit the press, and to promote respectful discourse that strengthens democratic debate
To request the adoption of specific protection measures, with a differentiated approach, for women journalists and critical voices, addressing the particular risks they face
To promote the eradication of the abusive use of judicial mechanisms as a form of intimidation against the press, ensuring compliance with international standards on freedom of expression
To urge the strengthening of public policies and regulatory frameworks that guarantee a safe, plural, and enabling environment for the free and independent practice of journalism.
