October in the Americas: A comprehensive overview of free expression and civic space challenges compiled by IFEX’s Regional Editor Laura Vidal, drawing insights from member reports and regional news.
The month of October in the Americas stood witness to escalating threats against freedom of expression, with a concerning rise in legislative actions and increased hostility directed at journalists. In Paraguay, a newly proposed bill aims to mandate exhaustive financial and personnel disclosures from non-profit organizations, consequently endangering the operational independence of independent media outlets. In Argentina, the media landscape has been further strained under President Milei, whose adversarial policies and inflammatory comments have cultivated a perilous atmosphere for journalistic endeavors. Meanwhile, Cuba’s recently enacted Social Communication Law has unleashed severe reprisals against independent journalists, leading to reports of intimidation, arbitrary detentions, and coerced confessions under governmental pressure.
Paraguay: Proposed legislation threatens press freedom
The Paraguayan Congress has recently passed a contentious bill intended to tighten state control over non-profit organizations, a move that press freedom advocates strongly contest, warning it could significantly limit the operational capacities of independent media in the country. Currently pending President Santiago Peña’s approval, this bill mandates that all non-profit entities, including those benefiting from foreign funding, submit detailed semiannual financial statements to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In addition, non-profits are required to reveal detailed lists of collaborators, a demand that poses risks to both staff members and financial supporters.
“Many independent Paraguayan media organisations rely heavily on foreign donations to sustain their operations. This law would compel them to divulge sensitive information regarding their collaborators, creating a formidable barrier to their essential work,” stated Cristina Zahar of IFEX member the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Coordinating Committee of Paraguay (Codehupy) have urged President Peña to reject this troubling legislation, citing profound implications for both press freedom and civic engagement in Paraguay.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has also voiced concerns regarding the implications of this proposed bill. The office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression cautioned that the extensive stipulations in the bill—including obligatory registration for all NGOs, stringent monitoring of financial operations, and meticulous documentation of organizational functions—would compound the bureaucratic burdens faced by these organizations. Furthermore, ambiguous terms linking non-profit status to concepts such as “public utility,” “social interest,” and “cultural interest” could grant government officials significant latitude in enforcing compliance. The proposed law threatens severe penalties for non-compliance, which include potential suspension of operations for up to six months and disqualification from serving in public office for up to five years. Critics warn that these punitive measures risk exacerbating civic repression and stifling NGO activities, drawing parallels to repressive tactics seen in other authoritarian regimes across the region, notably in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Argentina: Escalating tensions against the press
Following Javier Milei’s rise to the presidency in Argentina, open hostility against the press has sharply escalated. Milei has frequently targeted journalists offering critical perspectives of his government, resulting in a series of public denouncements and confrontational exchanges that signal a discerning shift in governmental tolerance for critical media. This pattern has alarmed not only media professionals but also press advocacy groups, highlighting trepidations regarding the escalating threat to media freedom.
These shifts follow a series of significant introductions, including the contentious decree 780/2024 that modifies legislation governing access to public information, deploying vague terminology that allows authorities the discretion to deny information requests at will. Additionally, in the previous months, IFEX member the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) reported a targeted smear campaign conducted by digital outlets associated with the government against independent media.
This heightened antagonism, notably bolstered by Milei’s personal endorsement, is unprecedented given his brief time in office. Continuing this trend, in late September, Milei’s heated rhetoric escalated when he took to a public event to incite attendees to verbally assault journalists, an act that carries dangerous implications for press autonomy. FOPEA remarked, “Encouraging public defamation of journalists is not merely an act of intolerance, but a deliberate tactic that undermines the foundation of democratic values.”
IACHR Special Rapporteur Pedro Vaca echoed the sentiments expressed by FOPEA, commenting, “Disagreement is one thing; however, if an official is the catalyst for or condones incitement to violence, it alters the dynamics entirely. Official voices must never serve as a foundation for creating environments that condone violence against the press.”
Milei has predominantly utilized the social media platform X as his primary avenue for critiquing journalists and dissenters, rarely convening press conferences and selectively engaging with media personalities who are sympathetic to his administration. Political analyst Óscar Romano, commenting to France 24, noted that figures aligned with the emerging right-wing employ a “direct, explicit, and visceral” communication style that often manifests through social media, enabling them to deliver potent, attention-grabbing statements designed to resonate deeply with their audience.
Cuba: New Social Communication Law intensifies repression against independent journalists
Cuba’s new Social Communication Law, enacted on 4 October, has unleashed a severe wave of repression targeting independent journalists who operate outside the confines of the official media narrative. Those in journalism report facing harassment, intimidation, and accusations of mercenarismo (mercenary activity), a claim made under Article 143 of the Penal Code that carries potential sentences of four to ten years in prison and implies that these journalists accept foreign funds to undermine Cuba’s constitutional integrity.
“The Cuban regime has rapidly unleashed an unprecedented wave of repression that can only be characterized as state terrorism,” stated Normando Hernández, general director of the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press (ICLEP), in an interview with the LatAm Journalism Review. He elaborated on the regime’s objective: “to instill terror, coerce journalists into abandoning their roles, and send clear signals of intimidation, stressing that the new law serves as an additional mechanism to imprison dissent.”
Organizations such as IFEX members ARTICULO 19 and Reporters Without Borders have documented alarming patterns concerning the coercive interrogations of journalists within Cuba. These reporters report being subjected to verbal abuse and pressured to sign coerced statements or produce video confessions disavowing alleged involvement with projects financed by foreign entities. Such confessions are often disseminated via state-controlled media, adding an additional layer of humiliation amid threats of imprisonment or retaliation against their families and supporters. The targeted journalists find themselves torn between being cast as criminals or as state corroborators, with evidence extracted from these forced confessions later used to substantiate official charges against them.
Independent digital outlets such as El Toque, Cubanet, Periodismo de Barrio, and Magazine AM:PM have reported experiencing arbitrary detentions, unlawful interrogations, severe threats of prosecution, and confiscations of both personal and professional equipment. Other IFEX members, including CPJ, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), and various human rights organizations have condemned the government’s actions, emphasizing that the Social Communication Law represents a substantial threat to freedom of expression and access to information in Cuba.
In brief
FOPEA (Argentina) launches a podcast series on journalists’ legal tools. The series, titled “Informar sin dañar(nos),” [informing the public without harming (ourselves)], comprises six informative episodes designed to equip journalists with essential legal knowledge and resources to support their vital work.
Guatemala: Organizations across the region have welcomed a court ruling that will transfer José Rubén Zamora, founder and director of elPeriódico, to house arrest after enduring over 800 days in detention.
Haiti tops CPJ’s Global Impunity Index for unpunished journalist murders, with rampant gang violence, political instability, and an ineffectual judiciary contributing significantly to the current crisis of impunity. Added to the index in 2023 after criminal gangs claimed greater control over the territory following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti is grappling with an unprecedented “existential crisis” in journalism, forcing many media outlets to either significantly reduce staffing or altogether shut down.
Uruguay presidential candidates head to a runoff in the presidential election after centre-left candidate Yamandú Orsi failed to secure more than 50% of the votes against his main challenger, Álvaro Delgado, from the centre-right administration currently in power.
Href=”https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/10/argentina-press-freedom-undermined-under-milei/”>condemns the growing hostility against the press, saying it poses a significant risk to democratic values and journalistic integrity. Amid governmental actions, independent media continues to face serious challenges in maintaining operational independence.
In **Cuba**, the recently enacted Social Communication Law has led to rampant repression against independent journalists, characterized by intimidation and harassment as the state aims to consolidate control over the narrative. Reports of coercive tactics, including forced confessions and arrests, have increased, further curtailing the freedom of expression.
both Argentina and Cuba portray alarming trends in the suppression of journalistic freedoms and the increasing control exerted by governments over press and civil society, raising concerns among international organizations and advocates for human rights. Continued monitoring and support for independent journalism are essential in these contexts to counteract the rising authoritarian practices observed in both nations.
