CPJ Américas / Committee to Protect Journalists

07/15/2026

The Committee to Protect Journalists submitted testimony from journalist Luz Mely Reyes to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, calling attention to ongoing censorship, digital blocking, and persecution of independent journalists in Venezuela. We thank the Commission for shining a spotlight on the human rights and press freedom crisis in Venezuela. Read more: https://cpj.org/2026/07/cpj-supports-journalists-testimony-on-press-freedom-in-venezuela-submitted-to-us-tom-lantos-human-rights-commission | https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/events/hearings/human-rights-venezuela-status-and-opportunity

Hearing Notice Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the human rights in Venezuela.

07/13/2026

- Mexican authorities must immediately and credibly investigate the killing of environmental journalist and content creator Manuel Alejandro Mora Serna and determine whether he was attacked in relation to his work as a reporter.

“The shocking killing of Alex Serna is the third of a Mexican journalist in less than a month, underscoring Mexico’s abysmal status as the most dangerous country for the press in the western hemisphere”, said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico Representative. “Once again Mexican authorities must show that they are willing and able to end the cycle of violence and impunity that continues to plague the nation’s press.”

The Guerrero State Human Rights Commission (CDHEG) confirmed in a July 3 statement on Facebook that Serna’s body was found June 22 in Zihuatanejo, in the southern state of Guerrero, according to news reports, though the date has not been confirmed by state authorities.

Mexico City, July 9, 2026—Mexican authorities must immediately and credibly investigate the killing of environmental journalist and content creator Manuel Alejandro Mora Serna and determine whether he was attacked in relation to his work as a reporter, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Fri...

07/08/2026

- The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes an unprecedented June 30 court decision that sentenced a former judge and an ex-general to five years in prison for illegally spying on independent journalist Mauricio Weibel Barahona as he was investigating corruption in the Chilean army.

“This sets an important precedent for fighting impunity in cases involving spying on journalists — and not only in Chile,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ Latin America program coordinator. “In the last few years, CPJ has documented illegal government spying on journalists in Mexico and El Salvador. This decision may contribute to achieving justice for them and others in similar cases across the region and globally.”

Read more ⬇️

São Paulo, July 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes an unprecedented June 30 court decision that sentenced a former judge and an ex-general to five years in prison for illegally spying on independent journalist Mauricio Weibel Barahona as he was investigating corruption in the C...

07/08/2026

- Reporters serving Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities like Maritza Félix, founder of the independent nonprofit news outlet Conecta Arizona, frequently face scrutiny as journalists covering the story and as individuals with deep personal ties to the communities they’re covering.

“Getting access to information has become more difficult. We used to have more personal connections to law enforcement agencies like ICE and Border Patrol. Not anymore, now we have to email our questions. And the answers that they send are very “politically correct” [in line with the Trump administration’s policies]. They’re not giving us any more than what we request; sometimes we don’t hear back at all, and sometimes it can take weeks or months for them to get back to us.”

Read more ➡️ https://cpj.org/2026/06/news-leader-maritza-felix-on-covering-immigration-in-arizona/

07/03/2026

El Committee to Protect Journalists está investigando numerosos informes de que las autoridades cubanas detuvieron o acosaron a varios periodistas y activistas de la sociedad civil invitados a asistir anoche (2 de julio) a un acto conmemorativo del 250.º aniversario de la independencia en la residencia del embajador de Estados Unidos en La Habana. El CPJ recuerda al gobierno cubano que la Constitución de la isla protege el derecho a la libertad de expresión y de asociación de todos sus ciudadanos, pese a las restricciones represivas contempladas en el Código Penal cubano. Entre las personas detenidas o impedidas de asistir se encontraban: Yoani Sánchez, Henry Constantín, Anna Bensi, Yunia Figueredo y Frank Correa.

La misión diplomática en La Habana celebra el 250º aniversario de la independencia de EE UU y la Seguridad del Estado responde con detenciones, citaciones y operativos policiales

07/03/2026

The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating numerous reports that Cuban authorities detained or harassed several journalists and civil society activists invited to attend a 250th independence day anniversary event at the US ambassador’s residence in Havana last night (July 2). CPJ reminds the Cuban government that the island’s constitution protects the right of freedom of expression and association of all its citizens, despite repressive restrictions under the Cuban Penal Code. Among those detained or impeded from attending were: Yoani Sánchez, Henry Constantín, Anna Bensi, Yunia Figueredo and Frank Correa.

La misión diplomática en La Habana celebra el 250º aniversario de la independencia de EE UU y la Seguridad del Estado responde con detenciones, citaciones y operativos policiales

06/27/2026

As LGBTQ+ communities celebrate Pride this June, many journalists continue to face an ugly reality: simply reporting on this community can open them up to prosecution, physical attacks, threats, arrest, exile, and even death.  Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born American who blogged about LGBTQ+ rights ...

06/25/2026

🚨 Journalists covering the earthquakes: The dynamics of a natural disaster are fluid and threats can materialize quickly. Research the potential risks associated with covering earthquakes and prepare accordingly.

Read CPJ’s expert safety tips here 👇
https://cpj.org/2018/09/physical-safety-natural-disasters-and-extreme-weather/

Artwork: Jack Forbes

The dynamics of a natural disaster or extreme weather event are fluid and threats can materialize quickly. Journalists should research potential threats associated with the event they are covering and prepare accordingly.

06/24/2026

- As the United States marks 250 years, CPJ was proud to join Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders / RSF and PEN America for a timely conversation on what press freedom means — and requires — in this moment.

Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Anna M. Gomez opened the evening with remarks connecting press freedom to the arc of U.S. history, reminding attendees that the First Amendment was never a passive guarantee. PEN America's Tim Richardson followed, setting the stage for the panel discussion that followed.

CPJ's Katherine Jacobsen joined Ben Grazda of RSF and Dr. Christoph Mergerson, assistant professor at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, for a wide-ranging conversation on the current state of press freedom in the U.S. — from journalist safety and legal threats to the structural pressures facing local news. The panel was moderated by Claudia Uceda.

The conversation was a reminder that protecting journalists isn't just about individual cases — it's about preserving the infrastructure of democracy itself.

Thank you to everyone who joined us. The work continues.



(📸: Valerie Plesch for CPJ)

06/24/2026

: CPJ joined Media Defence and Paraguayan NGO IDEA - Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental in a petition before the IACHR to seek justice on behalf of Brazilian journalist Léo Veras’ family on June 23, six years after his murder. Veras was shot at home, in front of his son and wife in February, 2020. The murder was never properly investigated by Paraguayan authorities.