Freedom Of Political Cartoonists Threatened In Latin America

From CartoonistsRights:

With support from UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund, CRNI has recruited a new network of Legal Experts around the world, both practicing lawyers and academics, these bolstering our existing roster of Regional Representative cartoonists. In a series of interviews we get to know a selection of these experts better; today’s subject is Herman Duarte of Simple Legal Consulting, Costa Rica. In addition to directing his own firm Mr. Duarte is the Costa Rican representative for Arbitrator Intelligence and an advisor to the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation.

1. 1. Our cartoonists are consistently expressing anxiety about criminalisation. In your view, are they right to be worried?

I would say there is no pressing reason for those in Costa Rica to be worried, however in El Salvador (I am a Salvadoran/Swiss citizen) there is. Hostility towards independent journalists continues to grow and there are rumours around the advent of some new laws that will make it easier to intimidate journalists with impunity, diminishing the freedom of the press.

Read the full article here.