International
Journalists in Latin America lack protection due to weak laws and few resources
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticized on Tuesday that journalists in Latin America lack protection due to “weak” legal frameworks and “insufficient” resources from States to guarantee the safety of media professionals.
That is why the biggest challenge for the region is to turn the protection of journalists into a “political priority,” says RSF in its report ‘Protection mechanisms in Latin America: how to strengthen this fragile shield for journalists’.
The organization recalls that 338 journalists have been murdered in Latin America since 2000.
The “systematic violence” they suffer translates into deaths, threats, arrests and persecutions by involving themselves in the denunciation of cases of corruption, organized crime and abuse of power.
The countries analyzed: Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru
RSF analyzes the situation of countries that have recently implemented mechanisms to strengthen the safety of journalists (Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru) and those that are in the process of approving measures of this type (Chile and Paraguay).
In Peru, the allocated budget does not grow at the same rate as requests for protection by journalists, whose situation has worsened due to the political and social crisis in the Andean country.
In just two years, these demands have multiplied by six (247 in 2023, compared to 40 in 2021), while the budget has only increased by 40% in the same period.
RSF criticizes Guatemala’s limited action to protect journalists, accentuated by the lack of parliamentary support of the current president, Bernardo Arévalo, which makes it even more difficult to approve specific and effective mechanisms.
In Ecuador, the state of emergency declared by its president, Daniel Noboa, after a wave of unprecedented violence has worsened the economic, technical and institutional endowment of the Interinstitutional Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which is currently trying to get support from embassies and associations.
Projects for the protection of journalists in Chile and Paraguay
With regard to the draft new legislation, the Chilean Senate has received the draft of a new protection law for journalists and media, a text that RSF considers devoid of detail in terms of budget and legal framework.
“It does not explicitly mention any department, agency or institution that is held responsible,” he highlights in his report.
In Paraguay, another protection law is also pending ratification by the Senate since April 2023. It is a text that provides for the formation of an independent committee that has the highest authority to evaluate the situation.
According to RSF, the current conservative majority in the Upper House of Paraguay is an obstacle to maintaining the main provisions of the law that journalists are trying to maintain based on political support.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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