The Supreme Court of Peru sent a bill to Congress that would imprison those who distribute recordings of private conversations obtained by illegal telephone wiretaps, Perú21 reports. Freedom of expression groups said the bill was an attempt to restrict press freedom and weaken the tools used to watchdog the authorities, Diario Ya explains.
The announcement that the Chilean government will begin to monitor comments on social networks has prompted controversy among Facebook and Twitter users and sparked a debate about Internet privacy.
Colombian journalist Gonzalo Guillén’s computer and a hard disk with more than 15 years of work were stolen from his home in Bogotá towards the end of April, the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) reports.
In response to criticism from journalists and media outlets, the Colombian government said a proposed law that punishes officials who leak confidential information will not affect the media and that journalism issues have their own jurisdiction, El Tiempo reports.
Cuban state-television is accusing a former Reuters bureau chief of serving as a liaison for CIA intelligence, reported the Associated Press.
Freelance journalist and former Associated Press correspondent John Enders says that members of Venezuela's intelligence agency were harassing and attempting to intimidate him, the Press and Society Institute (IPYS) reports via IFEX.
Peruvian journalist Vicky Peláez, who was convicted of spying on the U.S. for Russian in June 2010, denied the charges and said she only pled guilty to win her freedom, Correo reports.
Colombian journalist Daniel Coronell, who faced off against former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, was named the vice president of news for the U.S. Spanish-language television station Univisión, reported EFE and Vanguardia on Jan. 21.
Colombia's Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) has released its report “Espionage against journalists" about the campaign by Colombia's intelligence service to smear and spy on several reporters. The report compiles the major breakthroughs on investigations about the case.
Panama’s decision to grant asylum to the former director of Colombian intelligence (DAS), María de Pilar Hurtado, could lead to impunity for illegal espionage against media outlets and journalists during the government of Álvaro Uribe, warned the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).