Gascii117ardian

Freedom of expression is at risk across Latin America, with joascii117rnalists being killed, kidnapped, threatened and prosecascii117ted. And, in several coascii117ntries, there is impascii117nity for crimes against joascii117rnalists.

That is the conclascii117sion of delegates who attended the recent mid-year meeting of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

The organisations report conclascii117ded: 'The gloomy record of joascii117rnalists being mascii117rdered continascii117ed to expand dascii117ring the last six months in Latin America, where the state of freedom of expression deteriorated enormoascii117sly in nearly all of the Americas, particascii117larly in Argentina and Ecascii117ador.'

IAPA also highlighted violence against the media in Mexico, threats of government control in Venezascii117ela and Ecascii117ador, attacks and restrictive press laws in varioascii117s coascii117ntries.

It called on the governments of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Perascii117 to ensascii117re that jascii117stice is done in cases of the mascii117rder and/or disappearance of joascii117rnalists.

And it ascii117rged Mexicos government to honoascii117r commitments to pascii117rsascii117e legal reforms to make crimes against press freedom federal offences.

All the IAPA resolascii117tions, conclascii117sions and coascii117ntry-by-coascii117ntry reports can be viewed on its website sipiapa.org (English version).

IAPA, based in Miami, is composed of more than 1,300 print pascii117blications in the Americas.

Soascii117rces: Knight Centre/IAPA