For the first time ever, Reporters Without Borders is publishing a list of profiles of “100 information heroes” for World Press Freedom Day (3 May).Through their courageous work or activism, these “100 heroes” help to promote the freedom enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the freedom to “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” They put their ideals in the service of...

Venezuelan security forces have used unlawful force in response to antigovernment demonstrations, severely beating unarmed protesters and shooting them at point blank range, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Security forces also subjected detainees to severe physical and psychological abuse, including in some cases torture, and justice officials failed to safeguard detainees’ due process rights. The 103-page report, “,” documents 45 cases from Caracas and...

Reporters Without Borders condemns attacks by police on four journalists from the daily El Colombiano who were covering May Day demonstrations. Andrea Torres, Sebastian Carvajal, Juan Fernando Rojas and Esteban Vanegas were assaulted by riot officers to whom they had made a point of showing their press cards. Vanegas, a photographer, was accused of assaulting public servants. He was released overnight after being held for 12 hours. “This attack took place just over a month after the...

On 24 March, the Mexican government introduced a telecommunications bill in the Senate that is intended to supplement existing federal telecoms legislation in force since 1995. It is officially designed to restore the balance of power between the giants in the market and the small players. However, the draft has aroused strong reactions because of its provisions that would give the government the right to monitor media content. Senators are due to start considering the proposals later today. ...

Reporters Without Borders condemns independent journalist Juliet Michelena Díaz’s detention since 7 April, three days before the publication of a by-lined report she wrote for the Miami-based independent news platform Cubanet about a case of ordinary police violence she had witnessed in Havana. Michelena, who was arrested in a heavy-handed police operation, is a member of the Cuban Network of Community Journalists (RCCC), an organization that defends freedom of information. The...

A shotgun-wielding man opened fire at two Jewish sites in suburban Kansas City on Sunday, killing three people and shocking a peaceful community. Police arrested a suspect shortly after the separate shootings but have not released his name or the names of the victims. The shootings occurred at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, which is in Overland Park, about 11 miles south of Kansas City, and at Village Shalom, a retirement home nearby, Overland Park Police Chief John...

Protests in Venezuela have led to concerns in Latin American and the Caribbean, according to a report issued on Monday. Most presidents of the region are concern about the situation of the country, which generates uneasiness among opposition parties, mass media, firms, and citizens, the International Prospective Institute (IPI) states in the report, EFE quoted. Venezuela has been facing anti-government protests since February, resulting in more than 40 people dead and hundreds injured. ...

A Guatemalan man suspected of being a boss of Mexico's Zetas drug cartel was captured by police Monday in northern Guatemala, Government Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said. Wilmer Arnulfo Cabrera Franco was arrested in San Pedro Carcha, a town in the northern province of Alta Verapaz, Lopez said. Cabrera is from Teculutan, a city in the eastern province of Zacapa, Lopez said. "He was arrested as he was leaving a residence he frequently visited in San Pedro Carcha and will transported...

Ivan Velasquez-Caballero, aka Talivan or 50, has entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Velasquez-Caballero, 44, of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been in custody in the United States since he was extradited to Laredo on Nov. 21, 2013. The charges stem from a Feb. 17, 2010, indictment charging Velasquez-Caballero and 33 others with 47...

Nairobi Pinto was seized by two masked gunmen at her home in the capital Caracas, her father Luis said. He asked the kidnappers to "see sense" and release his daughter. Kidnappings, especially for ransom, are not uncommon in Venezuela, and a number of diplomats, as well as businessmen and athletes, have been abducted over the past years. While the majority of those kidnapped for ransom are released hours or days after they were taken, some kidnap victims have been killed or died...