Bolivia / Americas

A barrage of bullets was waiting for ATB camera operator Percy Suárez and six other journalists when they arrived at the Las Londras ranch in Bolivia’s Guarayos province October 28, 2021, around 852 kilometers outside of the capital, La Paz. The journalists, flown in by a local farmer association, came to cover a land dispute…

For over two decades, Bolivian journalists have endured intimidation, legal harassment, and violence from political actors intent on silencing dissent. Now, journalists fear those attacks may intensify as the country races toward a hotly contested presidential election, in which no clear frontrunner has emerged. “We’re not choosing between democracy and authoritarianism” said reporter Rodrigo Fernández from Radio Erbol, one of…

Bogotá, November 7, 2024—Bolivian authorities must thoroughly investigate violent attacks on journalists covering a wave of anti-government protests, including against reporter Jurgen Guzmán of private broadcaster Unitel TV, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On October 26, protesters blocking a highway nearthe central Bolivian town of Melga threatened…

Bogotá, November 4, 2021 – Bolivian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the abduction and assault of six journalists by a group of armed men and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 28, seven reporters, photographers, and camera operators for several Bolivian media outlets…

In Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, and Peru, emergency measures in response to COVID-19 restricted the media’s capacity to report freely and the public’s ability to access information, including critical information about public health interventions and the pandemic itself, a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw program found. The report,…

Bogotá, April 5, 2021 – Bolivian authorities must thoroughly investigate the attack on journalist Franklin Guzmán Zambrana and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 30, near the village of Santa Bárbara, about five miles northeast of the capital, La Paz, a group of truck drivers abducted, assaulted,…

Wildfires are becoming more frequent across the world and increasing in both severity and extent, according to Science Brief, a website that reviews peer-reviewed scientific studies on various topics, including climate change. Media workers covering any wildfire should be aware of the dynamic nature of such a disaster, and how a rapidly evolving situation on…

Bogotá, August 11, 2020 – Bolivian authorities should quickly and thoroughly investigate the attack on journalist David Sapiencia, identify those responsible, and hold them to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 5, about two dozen protesters in the central Bolivian town of Mairana attacked Sapiencia, a freelance photojournalist, according to news…

Bogotá, June 16, 2020 – Bolivian authorities’ investigation into attacks on journalists from Unitel TV and El Deber should be thorough and transparent, and those responsible should be held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 11, a crowd of about 50 protesters in the central Bolivian town of Entre Ríos…

On June 3, 2020, Junior Arias, host of the news program “Behind the Truth” on the privately owned broadcaster Gigavisión, announced on-air that he was stepping down from his job, saying he felt threatened by the Bolivian government’s response to his work and would take a temporary furlough for his safety. On May 31, Arias…