So far in 2011, there have been more attacks on journalists in Guatemala than in 2010, according the annual report from the Center of Informative Reports for Guatemala (CERIGUA). The killing of journalist Yensi Ordóñez in May 2011 was listed among the most severe.
Up until September 2011, there were 20 reported attacks against the press in the Central American country, up from 19 over the entire year of 2010.
The majority of the threats originated from officials and politicians, and organized crime was responsible for one, the organization reported.
The organization considered the departments of Petén, Alta Verapaz, Izabal, Huehuetenango, Zacapa and San Marcos to be high risk areas for journalists due to the amount of drug-related news originating there. This year, Petén and Alta Verapaz were under siege for two months because of violence from organized crime.
CERIGUA noted that in May 2011, posters appeared denouncing the press in four departments in Guatemala. The event happened a week after the massacre of 27 peasants in Petén, near the Mexican border. The criminal group Z200, part of the Mexican crime organization Los Zetas, is allegedly responsible for the crime.
