A lawsuit brought against two journalists by a government official in Argentina sparked outcry from the media, according to the newspaper Clarín. The head of the Federal Revenue Administration (AFIP in Spanish), Ricardo Echegaray, sued journalists Matías Longoni and Luis Majul separately for "damages and harm," added the newspaper. The official asked for almost $275,000 in restitution from each.
The Brazilian government awarded its most prestigious prize for individuals and institutions that stand up for the defense of human rights to a killed journalist. The president's Secretary for Human Rights awarded the 2012 Human Rights Prize posthumously to Tim Lopes, reported the website G1.
The House of Journalists' Rights in Mexico warned that there were four cases of death threats in the state of Puebla, according to the newspaper El Heraldo.
The director of a documentary about Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa refused to air his film on a U.S. television channel after an official requested the station makes some changes in their broadcast, according to Fundamedios.
La Plata University (UNLP in Spanish) in Argentina honored Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa with a freedom of expression award. The prize was previously awarded to President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Bolivian President Evo Morales in 2011 and 2008, respectively.
The Federal Chamber on Civil and Commercial Matters of Argentina extended the cautionary measure on grounds of unconstitutionality requested by the media titan Grupo Clarín on two articles of the country's new media law, which was set to go into effect this Friday, Dec. 7, according to newspaper Clarín. The ruling means that the articles that refer to the possession of audiovisual media licenses will not go into effect until there is a ruling regarding their constitutionality.
When Enrique Peña Nieto assumed the presidency of Mexico on Saturday, Dec. 1, he promised that his government would protect freedom of expression and journalism, according to the news agency EFE.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF in Spanish) reported with "concern and regret" an uptick in attacks on journalists in Argentina and the challenges facing freedom of expression, especially in the provinces, according to a report the group published on Nov. 30.
Journalist Fabiano Portilho Coene, owner of the news website i9 in the city of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, claimed he was attacked on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 29, reported the website G1.
Journalist Fabiano Portilho Coene, owner of the news website i9 in the city of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, claimed he was attacked on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 29, reported the website G1.
The International Freedom of Expression Exchange Latin American and Caribbean Alliance (IFEX-ALC) reported that at least 74 journalists were killed and hundreds of others attacked in 11 countries across the region during the last three years.
Chilean police detained a journalist for over three hours on Saturday, Nov. 24, on an old warrant, reported the website Diario Voz Populi. Pedro Cayuqueo, a Mapuche indigenous journalist, was detained by police in the community of Teodoro Schmidt.