Voces del Sur (VDS) is a network of Latin American civil society organizations working to promote and defend freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the right to access information. It works to monitor and report on the state of these fundamental freedoms in the region.
Every year, the VDS Network produces a Shadow Report to assess the progress of regional governments towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.10.1, focused on violence against journalists and activists. Through a common, network-wide methodology, VDS partner organizations compare data on these aggressions.
The 2023 Shadow Report, titled “Latin American Press Under Attack: Violence, Impunity, and Exile,” documents threats against journalists and media at national and regional levels. It analyzes the state of SDG 16.10.1 and urges the region’s governments to respect these fundamental freedoms, which are critical for any democracy. The 2023 annual report is the sixth iteration of this publication produced by the VDS Network, compiling over half a decade of collective learning and efforts.
Key Findings 2023
The consolidation of antidemocratic regimes and the proliferation of organized crime in Latin America have created an extremely dangerous environment for freedom of expression and journalism in the region.
The alarming regional trend of manipulation of state institutions to hinder or directly silence the independent press has continued.
Stigmatization was the second most common form of attack on the press recorded by the VDS Network in the region.
Progress in terms of justice for crimes against journalists in Latin America was similarly bleak. Governments in the region have failed to curb the trend of impunity surrounding crimes against journalists.
Authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua have maintained their policies of persecution against and criminalization of journalists and media.
Additional Data
This year, a journalist was murdered every 21 days in Latin America. The VDS Network documented the killing of 17 reporters in 7 different countries across the region.
In 2023, the VDS Network identified 9 cases of sexual violence and 128 gender alerts in 12 countries in the region, primarily in the form of online aggressions and attacks.
The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate and journalist Fernando Villavicencio reflects the depth to which organized crime has become entrenched in the region and its disastrous consequences for journalism and the free press.
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