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, as well as to monitor and report on the status of these fundamental freedoms in the region. Each year, VDS produces a shadow report to assess the progress of regional governments towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10.16.01, which focuses on violence against journalists and activists. Using its common monitoring methodology, VDS partner organizations compare data on aggressions of this type to produce this report.
The 2022 Shadow Report titled: «Latin America; violence, repression and resilience of the press» documents the threats against journalists and media at the national and regional levels, analyzes the state of SDG 10.16.01, and urges governments to respect fundamental freedoms, which are key to any democracy. This is the fifth yearly edition of the Shadow Report produced by VDS, and thus includes half a decade of lessons and collective efforts.
Key Findings 2022
2022 has been the most violent year for the press in the 5 years since the VDS Network began monitoring aggressions against journalists.
Throughout 2022, 31 journalists were murdered in attacks related to their work.
In 2022, the 3 deadliest countries for the press in the region were Mexico, Honduras, and Ecuador.
In addition to lethal violence, there were 1,953 assaults and attacks against journalists in the region.
In 2022, the press in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru experienced serious aggressions and attacks while reporting on social upheavals.
The State is the primary culprit of violations of freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and access to information in Latin America, perpetrating 56% of all cases.
Organized crime has grown significantly throughout Latin America. 5% of alerts in the region identified organized crime groups as perpetrators.
Public institutions in the region, from the judiciary to regulatory bodies, have been weaponized to target critical journalism.
The judicial system in particular is used to persecute journalism: 84 civil and criminal judicial processes were registered in 2022.
Impunity is widespread throughout Latin America. Perpetrators of crimes against journalists in the region almost always go unpunished, with victims experiencing little or no reparation.
Attacks against the press have reportedly generated a self-censorship effect among reporters in Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Other alarming data
FLED documented the exile of around 120 Nicaraguan journalists and communicators in 2022.
In Mexico, lethal violence continues to grow, going from 6 cases reported in 2020 to 9 cases in 2021, and 15 cases in 2022.
There were 20 cases of sexual violence and 182 gender alerts reported in 2022.
The VDS Network registered 831 alerts for stigmatizing speech in 2022, which represents over 17% of the total alerts in the region.