In a report by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. heavily criticized the Argentine government for limiting freedom of press in the country, and said that there is too much violence against the press and opposition journalists, accusing the government for being responsible for several measures that do not allow for freedom of expression in Argentina, reported the newspaper Clarín.
In the report “Worldwide Human Rights Practices,” published on Thursday, May 24, the most outstanding human rights violations were in Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela. However, in the Argentine case, the problems with freedom of press and expression and the relationship between the press and the government, which has recently been called “authoritative and intolerant,” caught the attention of several journalism unions in Argentina.
According to La Razón, this is the first time that the report includes freedom of press as a concerning theme of major importance. The relationship between the Cristina Kirchner administration and the press was considered “troublesome” and with "indirect censorship" tendencies, added La Voz Política.
The report by the State Department, led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, mentioned several organizations' concerns, such as that of the International Press Institute, and the Inter American Press Association. These organizations recently expressed concerns about Argentine freedom of press and used the report's information to demand respect of freedom of press and expression from the Argentine government, reported the digital newspaper Télam.
