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Government thwarted in attempt to advance measure threatening the right to privacy

Brazil Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Obstructed On April 17, President Jair Bolsonaro forced landline and mobile phone companies to share their customer data to support the production of official statistics in response to the pandemic. In the absence of legal guarantees on data protection, on May 7 the Federal Supreme Court suspended the […]

Mexican Congress seeks to protect journalists and human rights defenders

Mexico Impact | Positive Probability | Medium Rating CIVICUS | Repressed In late April, the Government and Population Committee of the Chamber of Deputies reported that the proposal to reform the Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists will be ready shortly. The deputy of the ruling party and president of the […]

Congress reverses decision to ban journalists from attending sessions

Guatemala Impact | Negative Rating CIVICUS | Obstructed On May 5, Congress reauthorized journalists to attend plenary sessions. Their access had been denied in early April on the pretext of the pandemic, which prompted a challenge from the Human Rights Ombudsman (PDH), Jordán Rodas. In a statement, the Constitutional Court (CC) gave its backing to […]

At the height of the crisis, governments put up barriers to information

Rest of Latin America In response to the pandemic at least eight countries in the region have placed restrictions on accessing public information, by suspending the agencies and/or deadlines relating to the response to information requests. As well as the discussed cases of Brazil and Mexico, this includes Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru and […]

Curbs on freedom of movement and assembly the new norm

Rest of Latin America Since the WHO declaration of the pandemic on March 11, most countries in the region have taken measures to curtail individual freedom of movement, assembly and protest. The governments of Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay have decreed mandatory preventive isolation, while Guatemala, Panama and Puerto Rico have imposed curfews. The Chilean government, […]

Government suspends requests for access to public information

Mexico Rating CIVICUS | Repressed Amid criticism of President Andrés López Obrador’s lax handling of the crisis, on March 27 the Mexican Government announced it would suspend until April 17 deadlines for complying with procedures under the General and Federal Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information and the General and Federal Law on […]

Nearly 20,000 arrested since the curfew

Dominican Republic Rating CIVICUS | Narrowed On March 19, the Congress of the Dominican Republic authorized President Danilo Medina to declare a nationwide state of emergency, in effect until April 13, and as part of this restrict freedom of movement, association and assembly. On the same day, the Government decreed a state of emergency until […]

Congress passes police protection law after suspending constitutional rights

Peru Rating CIVICUS | Obstructed On 27 March, Congress passed a police protection law that exempts from criminal liability all security force personnel who cause death or injury while on duty. The move comes after President Martín Vizcarra decreed a national emergency on March 15, as part of which constitutional rights and guarantees – including […]

President orders police and soldiers to “toughen up on people in the street”

El Salvador Rating CIVICUS | Obstructed The Supreme Court of Justice asked the Executive and Legislative branches to “urgently regulate and clarify measures limiting physical freedom” following calls to resolve the situation of hundreds of detainees held by police over violating the quarantine. On 14 March, the Legislative Assembly passed a law temporarily restricting the […]