Los Angeles, USA
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, charged this Tuesday The governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela for criminalizing the press, He stressed that his country is investing to protect press freedom on the continent.
“In Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, the simple act of practicing independent journalism is a a crime”He stressed during a dialogue on the occasion of the Summit of the Americas, which will be held this week in Los Angeles (USA).
Specifically, the United States, which is hosting the event, did not invite Cuban, Venezuelan or Nicaraguan authorities to the summit. Considering that they do not respect democracy.
The exclusion of these three countries provoked the protest of some leaders of the region, such as the Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who rescinded his aid.
Blinken gave examples of Nicaraguan journalists and dissidents Miguel Mora and Miguel Mendoza, who ‘They are unjustly imprisoned’ They were sentenced under “offensive legislation”.
He also denounced that independent journalists in Cuba were “subjected to systematic abuse”, including weeks of house arrest.
American wallet holder Foreign Affairs lamented the killing of at least 16 journalists in America in 2022, He cited the case of Mexicans Yesenia Mulindo and Sheila Johana Garcia, who were killed in Veracruz in May.
“No other region in the world is more dangerous for journalists,” Blinken said, criticizing the fact that in many countries the message is being sent that These crimes can be committed with impunity.”
In addition, he criticized that there are governments promoting “laws that abolish freedom of expression”, He cited El Salvador’s emergency system, whose president, Neb Bokil, also did not attend the Western Hemisphere meeting.
In light of this, Blinken asserted that the United States “is working across the region to strengthen the rule of law,” training judges and prosecutors on crimes against journalists.
He noted that the US Agency for Development (Usaid) will invest $9 million in a global defense fund for journalists and media outlets.
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