Erin Woycik

It’s a familiar story that always has the same sad ending. Anabel Flores Salazar, a crime reporter for El Sol de Orizaba newspaper, was found dead on 9 February 2016 in the state of Puebla, becoming the 15th journalist killed in Veracruz since 2010.

In recent years, free expression groups in the Caribbean have been urging individual nations to repeal criminal defamation laws. What hold do these laws have over the media and others?

The governments of Ecuador and Canada, both sensitive to criticism and prone to silencing their opponents, are using existing legislation to clamp down on the activities of civil society – including two IFEX members.

We spoke with TEDIC in Paraguay, an organization that is helping to spearhead the fight against the “Pyrawebs” data retention bill. When we asked what concerned them the most about this law, they didn’t just give us one or two reasons, they gave us 12!

How did a small Paraguayan NGO help defeat a bill that would have forced ISPs to retain customer information for 12 months?

The top issues affecting free expression in the Americas and what free expression rapporteur Edison Lanza’s new report has to say about them.

Ukrainian journalist Oles Buzyna was shot dead on Thursday 16 April 2015 in Kiev. He was the former editor-in-chief of Segodnya newspaper and was known for being pro-Russian and a critic of President Petro Poroshenko’s government.

Having taken on the traditional print, TV and radio media in Ecuador, President Correa has set his sights on the online realm. Follow through our timeline to find out how he does it.

Journalist Moisés Sánchez Cerezo was found dead weeks after being kidnapped in Veracruz state. A former police officer claims the local mayor is behind Sánchez’s death.

The falling price of oil has brought with it long lines and empty supermarket shelves, highlighting economic issues that the government would rather not discuss.

Can authorities long known for their ignorance or even complicity in crimes against journalists institute legal measures that produce tangible change?

The suspected murder of citizen journalist María del Rosario Fuentes Rubio was reported via her own twitter account, after she was believed to have been kidnapped by cartel members in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

After 19 years working for El Universal, cartoonist Rayma Suprani was fired over her cartoon critical of the national health system, following recent changes in the paper’s ownership and editorial line.

President Rafael Correa’s lack of patience for journalists who dare to criticize his administration is no secret. Last week he incited violence against one journalist who has been the frequent target of his attacks.

It’s inevitable that some of the world’s attention will shift away from Brazil, so IFEX members are calling on the country’s authorities to finally implement safety measures that could have prevented attacks on journalists during the World Cup.

One year ago when the communications law was passed, IFEX members warned it could significantly restrict free expression in Ecuador. Now they are checking in on their predictions.