Without any proof or evidence, Mexican journalist Jesús Lemus Barajas was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of drug trafficking, only to get his freedom back after serving three years in maximum security jail, according to Reporters Without Borders.
As part of the peace negotations in Colombia, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) asked last Friday for public financing to create their own media outlets, reported the news agency EFE.
The closure of the magazine Vanguardia in Ecuador at the end of June not only represented the loss of one of the few critical voices in the country -- it was also a devastating blow for the morale of the profession.
Amid the massive protests spreading throughout Brazil -- sparked by an increase in bus fares -- the mass media coverage also has become a target of criticism.
On Wednesday, June 5, former President Hugo Chávez posthumously received the National Journalism Award Simón Bolívar, reported newspaper El Universal. Even though the award's jury celebrated Chávez for his "role in fighting lies and mediatic manipulation," the relationship between the former president and the country's private media outlets was always tense.
Following seven hours of debate, the city government of Buenos Aires on Thursday, May 30, passed legislation relating to the protection of press and civil liberties, AFP reported. The approved text states that "the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires guarantees the rights of all to freely search, express, receive and disseminate, through whichever manner they choose, information, opinions, ideas, and cultural demonstrations," AFP added.
The restriction of information by government officials, journalists' safety and the telecommunications bill in Honduras are the main concerns worrying a committee from the Inter American Press Society, IAPA, visiting the country since May 27.
Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico and Dominican Republic were the countries in the Americas with the most alerts on violations or possible threats against freedom of expression in 2012, according to Amnesty International's 2013 annual report on the state of human rights around the world.
Thousands of Venezuelans that used to support Globovisión, a television channel that before being sold a few weeks ago was known for its opposition to the Chavista government, expressed their resentment on Twitter and unfollowed the channel after journalist Francisco 'Kiko' Bautista was fired, reported newspaper El Universal.
The Uruguayan government submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, May 22 a bill that would set new telecommunication rules in the country.