Amid a climate of political tension, Congress will monitor judicial wiretapping
Argentina Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Narrowed On June 30, the presidents of both Houses of Congress signed a joint resolution, designating the Bicameral Committee for the Supervision of Intelligence Agencies and Activities responsible for following up on activities carried out by the Directorate for Criminal Justice Assistance Complexes, a body under the jurisdiction of […]
Million-dollar fines and prison terms for those who fail to comply with the quarantine
Chile Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Narrowed After the extension until September of the State of Emergency, which was issued by the government to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, Congress amended the Penal Code in order to sanction non-observance of isolation and other preventive sanitary measures. The initiative aims to achieve full compliance with […]
Reform to security system criminalizing social protest already in force
Uruguay Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Open On July 14, after Congress gave it final approval, President Luis Lacalle Pou enacted the law that reforms the security and justice system, among other things. The law, which consists of 476 articles and 11 sections, includes the expansion of the scope of the principle of legitimate police defense […]
Conflict between the government and the Assembly continues over quarantine regulation
El Salvador Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Obstructed In the coming days, the Supreme Court should rule on the appeal presented by the government of President Nayib Bukele to repeal the law protecting the rights of individuals during the State of Emergency. The rule establishes guidelines for public authorities during quarantine. Meanwhile, the social isolation measures dictated by President Nayib […]
Bill to control the circulation of viral Internet content advances
Brazil Impact | Negative Probability | High Rating CIVICUS | Obstructed On June 30, the Senate gave preliminary approval to a draft bill on freedom, responsibility and transparency on the Internet. The initiative aims to limit the circulation of fake news in the digital environment and was questioned by different civil society organizations that warn that its […]
USMCA and its collateral effects for freedom of expression
Mexico Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Repressed Between June 29 and 30 the Mexican Congress passed a set of reforms to the Federal Copyright Law and the Federal Penal Code that were required as a condition for the entry into force of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on July 1. Although the changes aim […]
New Penal Code implies risks for freedom of expression on the internet
Honduras Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Repressed On June 25, a controversial reform of the Penal Code passed in 2019 finally came into force, after having been postponed twice. The reform incorporates the crimes of slander and injury, and aggravates the penalties when these actions “are carried out via print, television, radio, internet, information […]
Corte Constitucional suspende el uso progresivo de la fuerza en reuniones y manifestaciones
Ecuador Impacto | Positivo Rating CIVICUS | Limitado El 24 de junio la Corte Constitucional dio lugar a una demanda presentada por organizaciones de la sociedad civil y defensores de los derechos humanos contra el reglamento que permite a los militares el uso progresivo de la fuerza. En su presentación, las instituciones demandantes señalaron que la norma […]
En un clima de tensión política, el Congreso fiscalizará las escuchas judiciales
Argentina Impacto | Negativo Rating CIVICUS | Limitado El pasado 30 de junio los presidentes de ambas Cámaras del Congreso firmaron una resolución conjunta, designando a la Comisión Bicameral de Fiscalización de los Organismos y Actividades de Inteligencia como la responsable de dar seguimiento a las actividades que lleva adelante la Dirección de Asistencia Judicial de Delitos […]
Multas millonarias y penas de prisión para quienes incumplan la cuarentena
Chile Impacto | Negativo Rating CIVICUS | Limitado Tras la prórroga del estado de excepción hasta septiembre, dictada por el gobierno para mitigar el impacto del COVID-19, el Congreso modificó el Código Penal con el fin de sancionar la inobservancia del aislamiento y otras medidas sanitarias de prevención. La iniciativa apunta a lograr el pleno […]