A ruling party senator proposes increasing state control over digital platforms
Mexico Impact | Negative Probability | Medium Civicus Rating | Repressed On February 9, Senator and prominent MORENA bloc figure Ricardo Monreal published a proposal establishing an authorization mechanism for social networks to operate in the country, to be controlled by the IFT. The IFT would also have to approve the terms and conditions of […]
President Alvarado rejected before the Assembly accusations of violating rights to privacy
Costa Rica Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Limited On February 10, and almost a year after its installation, the Special Committee investigating the alleged use of confidential information of Costa Ricans by the Presidential Data Analysis Unit (UPAD, in Spanish) summoned President Carlos Alvarado Quesada to provide explanations before the Legislative Assembly. During eight […]
A journalist was ordered by court order to hand over recorded material from a news source
Argentina Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Limited On February 2, National Judge of First Instance in Civil Matters No. 6, Susana Margarita Gastaldi, ordered journalist Santiago O’Donnell to hand over recordings of all the interviews he conducted with the brother of former president Mauricio Macri for his book “Hermano. La confesión de Mariano Macri […]
Social organizations raise the unconstitutionality of the Foreign Agents Law
Nicaragua Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Repressed On February 14, the Nicaraguan Platform of NGO Networks – composed of around 100 organizations – urged in a statement that the Supreme Court resolve the appeals for unconstitutionality lodged against the Foreign Agents Law before March 9. The Platform denounced that the law and its regulations […]
Assembly rejected government proposal to define digital platforms as media outlets
Ecuador Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Obstructed At the end of January, the Assembly analyzed the partial veto sent by the Executive Branch to the reform to the Communication Law promoted by the government that declares that communication in Ecuador is a human right and not a public service. In his note, President Lenin […]
The Ombudsman’s Office creates a structure to observe citizen demonstrations
Panama Impact | Positive Civicus Rating | Limited The unit – called the Citizen Accompaniment Plan (PAC, in Spanish) – was created by a resolution of January 25 and has the purpose of “exercising the ‘preventive, supervisory and protectorate’ role of the population’s human rights immediately.” Its tasks include observing demonstrations and protests in order […]
The Court of Accounts and civil society join forces to promote transparency in the use of public funds
El Salvador Impact | Positive Probability | Medium Civicus Rating | Obstructed The Court of Accounts of the Republic (CCR, in Spanish), together with civil society organizations, are promoting a series of reforms to strengthen the role of the CCR as auditor of all entities -public or private- that manage state funds and in the […]
La Asamblea Nacional eliminó beneficios tributarios para diarios y cierra sus puertas a los periodistas
El Salvador Impacto| Negativo Rating Civicus| Obstruido El 5 de mayo, la nueva Asamblea aprobó una reforma a la Ley de Imprenta mediante la cual se eliminaron las exenciones tributarias que favorecían a los periódicos impresos. La iniciativa, presentada por el diputado de Nuevas Ideas, Christian Guevara, fue acompañada por diputados y diputadas del oficialismo […]
Lasso presents free speech and communications bill
Ecuador Impact | Postive Probability | High Civicus Rating | Obstructed On May 24, just a few hours after taking office, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, fulfilled one of his campaign promises: he repealed the regulation of the disputed Organic Law of Communication sanctioned in 2013 and sent to the Legislative Assembly a bill […]
A new registry limiting the operation of international social organizations was launched.
Venezuela Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Repressed On May 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs activated the Special Automated Registry of Non-Domiciled Non-Governmental Organizations (REGONG, in Spanish), a platform in which all foreign NGOs must register in order to continue their activities in the country. REGONG arises from a joint resolution of the Ministry […]