Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP

Articles by Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP

Guatemala: The imprisonment of José Rubén Zamora is an attack on the press and a bellwether for democracy

Fourteen organizations call for justice in Zamora’s case and respect for the rule of law

Guatemala: No press freedom, no democracy

We call on authorities to respect and protect freedom of expression and freedom of the press as necessary conditions to guarantee democracy and the legitimacy of the electoral process.

How the Colombian press can be strengthened by Inter-American Court reparation measures

On October 18th, 2021, the Inter-American Court released a historic judgment on the analysis of sexual violence as a way to silence female journalists. The court found the Colombian State responsible for not guaranteeing the rights of journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima. In 2000, Jineth was a victim of kidnapping, torture and sexual abuse.

“Physical, sexual and psychological torture of Jineth Bedoya could not have been carried out without the collaboration of the State”: IACtHR ruling

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) issued a historic ruling in the case of journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima against Colombia, in which it analyzes for the first time the use of sexual violence as a form of silencing and control against a woman journalist in the context of the Colombian armed conflict.

Journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, 12 March 2018, Photo: stephan-roehl.de, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Colombia revictimizes and impedes access to justice for Jineth Bedoya Lima

Colombia’s National Agency for Legal Defense alleged that the majority of the Inter-American Court’s judges are not impartial in the case. The State decided to leave the hearing, and the State’s witness did not appear to testify before the Court.

Press conference by the international mission, Mexico City, 6 November 2019, Photo credit: CENCOS

Mexico: Setbacks to freedom of expression in 2020

One year after an International Mission to Mexico, the government has failed to fulfil its commitments, and the freedom of expression situation in the country is worsening.

Why are we under surveillance? Questions for President Iván Duque’s government and the Colombian Army

Despite the information available, we are unable to fully comprehend the extent of the illegal actions ordered by a security force that, rather than persecuting and stigmatising us, has an obligation to provide guarantees for our work as journalists.

FLIP condemns massive surveillance, profiling of local and international journalists by Colombian army

Profiling and surveillance – practices characteristic of authoritarian regimes – contravene the government’s freedom of expression obligations and raise questions about society’s right to information and guarantees for the work of journalists.