Tracking cases that protect freedom of expression, association, and assembly
Court/Mechanism: Supreme (court of final appeal)
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Carlos Choc Case
Carlos Choc is a Mayan community journalist who has faced constant criminalization since 2017, as a result of his work documenting and investigating environmental rights violations. There is one on-going criminal proceeding against Mr. Choc.
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Guapinol Case
Guapinol defenders have faced criminalization and attacks against them for years, in retaliation for their work as community leaders and human rights defenders. This case discusses the arbitrary detention of eight Guapinol defenders who were released in 2022, after a legal procedure full of human rights violations.
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Mexican General Law of Social Communication
The General Law of Communication, which was passed on May 11, 2018, did not comply with international standards on freedom of expression, access to information and government advertising. Even though a 2017 Supreme Court ruling ordered the Congress to fix these issues, the latest changes to the Law are still contrary to international standards.
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Berta Cáceres Case
Berta Cáceres, an indigenous Lenca leader, was murdered in 2016, as a retaliation for her activism against the installation of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project. Thanks to her family’s constant efforts, the men responsible for the crime were brought before justice. However, they are still seeking to clarify the responsibility of the family who owns…
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Bernardo Caal Xol Case
Bernardo Caal is a Q’eqchi Mayan community leader, teacher, and defender of land rights and the environment in Guatemala. Bernardo was criminalized for his fight against the construction of a hydroelectric plant on the Cahabón River. After spending four years in prison, Bernardo was released on March 24, 2022.
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Sergio Aguayo Case
Journalist Sergio Aguayo Quezada has been judicially harassed and criminalized in retaliation for his work. Even though the Supreme Court issued a ruling in his favor in 2022, one lawsuit against him is still pending.
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Alex da Silveira Case
Photojournalist Alex da Silveira lost his vision as a result of a rubber bullet impact in his eye, after a military police officer shot him during a demonstration. After two appeals, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) recognized Mr. Silveira’s right to compensation and declared that the Brazilian State should be liable if journalists are injured…
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Action of unconstitutionality against the reform to Honduras’ Penal Code
On May 10, 2020, the new Criminal Code entered into force in Honduras, through Decree no. 130-2017. This legal instrument includes several criminal offenses that criminalize journalism and the defense of human rights, and limit the right to information, freedom of expression, and the right to protest. Several actions of unconstitutionality against it are pending…
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Kushal Devi Seenauth-Sohun v. The Commissioner of Police and Others
This case discusses the unlawful arrest, detention, and imprisonment of Kushal Devi Seenauth-Sohun over a Facebook post criticizing the government’s actions towards the COVID-19 pandemic.