Americas

New York, December 30, 2010--Honduran radio reporter and cable news presenter Henry Suazo was shot to death Tuesday morning as he was leaving his home in La Masica, a town in Atlántida province, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Honduran authorities to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the killing. 

It was about 4 in the afternoon on July 8 when the official assigned to me at Toledo Prison, where I'd been locked up for nearly five years, came running to get me. He was in such a hurry that that he tripped and almost fell to the ground. "Saludes, we're going upstairs," he said, breathless and sweating. He didn't give me any more details, but I soon found out that he was taking me up to the director's office where State Security was waiting for me. "They've come to talk to me," I told myself. And they had.

At the chief's desk sat an agent of the political police. I didn't recognize his face, but he had the same harshness and arrogance as all members of that repressive body. As soon as I entered the office, the agent signaled me silently to pick up the telephone receiver lying unhooked on the desk.   

This week, CPJ published its year-end analysis of work-related fatalities among journalists. Six of the 42 victims worked online. While you can read the full statistics and our special report elsewhere, I want to highlight the stories of these six journalists who worked on the Web.

At least 42 journalists are killed in 2010 as two trends emerge. Suicide attacks and violent street protests cause an unusually high proportion of deaths. And online journalists are increasingly prominent among the victims. A CPJ special report

New York, December 14, 2010--The Venezuelan legislature should reject proposed legal reforms that would harm freedom of expression, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Legislation that would regulate Internet content and could force broadcaster Globovisión off the air are up for consideration this week in the Venezuelan National Assembly.

Richard C. Holbrooke, "one of the giants of American foreign policy" in President Barack Obama's words, was also an ally of press freedom and a good friend to CPJ. In a statement marking Holbrooke's death at age 69, Chairman Paul E. Steiger said: "CPJ mourns the passing of Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke. He was a champion of human rights and a great friend to press freedom. Our thoughts are with his family, especially his widow, CPJ board member and former chair, Kati Marton." 

The president of the tribunal looked to his right and said, "The prosecutor has the floor." With a serious voice he pronounced the sentence: "The prosecutor ratifies the request for perpetual imprisonment for the accused, Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, for acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the country."

• Venezuela prepares law to regulate media, including the Internet.
• Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan briefly released from jail on $1.5 million bail...
• ...but fellow Iranian-Canadian anti-censorship software designer Saeed Malekpour still faces death penalty.
• Syrian telecom minister says awareness of the dangers, not censorship of the Internet is the solution.