Topic: Criminalization / Judicial harassment
-
Virginia Laparra Case
Virginia Laparra, former anti-corruption prosecutor, was arrested on February 23, 2022. She is currently facing two criminal proceedings, in retaliation for several administrative complaints she filed against a judge. She is currently deprived of her liberty in inhumane conditions.
-
Furukawa Case
The Japanese company Furukawa Plantaciones S.A. has been operating on the Ecuadorian coast to exploit abaca fiber since 1963. More than 1,240 people, mostly Afro-Ecuadorian, have lived on the company’s plantations. They work in unworthy and miserable living, housing and work conditions, without access to drinking water, adequate food, health care, electricity or sanitation, in…
-
Sonny Figueroa and Marvin del Cid Case
Sonny Figueroa and Marvin del Cid are two renowned Guatemalan journalists, who founded the media outlets Artículo 35 and Vox Populi, which play an important role in the oversight of the Guatemalan government’s use of public resources. In this role, they have exposed major corruption scandals, which has resulted in constant attacks, threats, criminalization and…
-
Jhony Andrés Salgado Fuentes Case
Jhony Andrés Salgado Fuentes was arbitrarily and illegally detained inside his home in the context of the 2017 post-election protest. The case against him was dismissed in March 2022. Even though there was a criminal proceeding against the police officers responsible for the detention, they were cleared of criminal responsibility.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Criminalization of Mayan Women Journalists
Anastasía Mejía Tiriquiz, an indigenous journalist, and Petrona Siy Castro, an indigenous community leader, were arrested in the context of a protest that took place on August 24, 2020 in Joyabaj, against the local mayor. After facing a criminal proceeding for the crimes of sedition, arson and aggravated assault, they were released on September 3,…
-
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) v. Nigeria
SERAP filed a petition before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) contesting the Nigerian government’s attempt to pass two bills that would allow authorities to gag the media and impose harsh and arbitrary punishments on media personnel.
-
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…