Critical voices attacked, no excuse for online abuse, and privacy in the Americas
The President of Mexico, Andres Manuel López Obrador, points during a press conference, in Mexico City, 5 April 2021, Luis Barron / Eyepix Group/Barcroft Media via Getty Images March 2021 in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
President Obrador attacks ARTICLE 19 after release of critical report
In March, ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America released its annual report –
Distorsión, examining the overall situation of freedom of expression and information in Mexico in 2020
Brazilians take part in a protest against president Jair Bolsonaro and his management of the COVID-19 outbreak, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 31 January 2021, Cris Faga/NurPhoto January 2021 in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Identifying vulnerabilities in ‘digital solutions’ developed in the fight against COVID
In late January, IFEX member Fundación Karisma launched a report that documents and systematizes the vulnerabilities found and reported by the organisation’s K+LAB Digital Security and Privacy Laboratory during 2020.
According to the report, both the national and regional governments in Colombia reacted to the COVID pandemic with ‘digital solutions’ to complement other measures – mainly restrictions on movement and circulation. Apart from research into whether these technological solutions are effective, the fact that they revolve arou
A member of the press pays tribute to journalist Felipe Guevara, who died earlier, two days after being shot, in Cali, Colombia, 23 December 2020, PAOLA MAFLA/AFP via Getty Images December in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Brazil: Racism and censorship
On 23 December, Brazilian IFEX-ALC members, the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), and ARTIGO 19, alongside seven other organizations working on freedom of expression, signed a joint statement condemning judicial censorship imposed on the news portal and agency
Ponte. The decision also affected sites that republished the content, including