Earlier this year, Media Defence and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) convened a three-day Litigation Surgery in Costa Rica, bringing together 19 lawyers from 12 Latin American countries to strengthen legal strategies for defending journalists facing lawsuits, criminalisation, harassment and violence, both online and offline.
Since Media Defence began organising Litigation Surgeries in 2015, more than 400 lawyers from over 55 countries have taken part. The collaboration with the OHCHR marks an important next step. “This partnership has deepened the impact of our latest legal training in Latin America,” said Carlos Gaio, CEO of Media Defence.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right,” added Sara Nuero, Coordinator of the UN Human Rights’ Regional Strategies Project for Latin America. “It underpins democratic societies. That’s why we’ve joined forces with Media Defence – to strengthen the capacity of lawyers to defend journalists at the national level and through international human rights mechanisms.”
A Practical Initiative in a Region under Pressure
Latin America hosts some of the world’s most ambitious investigative journalism – and some of its most dangerous conditions for practising it. Over the past two years, Media Defence has supported over 150 legal cases across 15 countries, almost a third of its global caseload, reflecting a region where pressures on the press continue to grow.
Across the region, authorities are deploying an expanding arsenal of legal and administrative tools to obstruct public-interest reporting. Restrictive media laws, administrative sanctions, limits on foreign funding, punitive tax audits, forced registration regimes, and even network blocks are transforming the landscape in ways that make journalism harder by stealth.
Participants described and shared experiences of an accelerating wave of legislative backsliding, particularly the adoption of foreign agent-type laws. Angélica Cárcamo, Executive Director of the Central American Network of Journalists (RCP), is from El Salvador, one of several countries where such legislation was recently passed. She noted that the new law imposes a 30% tax on funds received by journalists from international donors. “This type of legislation is designed to restrict press freedom,” Cárcamo said.
Concerns about judicial independence also ran throughout the Litigation Surgery discussions. In Brazil, political interference has become so pervasive that, as one lawyer put it, “everything depends on the political stance of the judge.”
At the same time, more overt forms of repression are not uncommon: arbitrary detentions, national security prosecutions, and criminal “fake news” charges used to silence critical reporting. Journalists have been subjected to intrusive surveillance, harassment, and digital attacks. In some cases, they have faced enforced disappearance, torture, or extrajudicial killing, with Mexico remaining the deadliest country for the press outside of active war zones. “Defending journalism is essential for democracy,” Sara Lidia Mendiola Landeros, Executive Director of Propuesta Cívica, said. “Especially in Mexico, the most dangerous and deadly country for the press.”
For women journalists, the landscape brings intersecting challenges. Gender-based violence and misogynistic abuse amplify the threats they face. “Violence against women journalists is like a double violence,” said Mendiola Landeros. “They are attacked not only for being journalists, but also for being women.” Sexualised harassment frequently extends to family members, and the relentless pressure is pushing many women off digital platforms, and, in some cases, out of the profession entirely.
Across several countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, officials have adopted increasingly hostile political rhetoric that portrays journalists as “enemies,” “foreign agents,” or national security threats. This narrative further complicates the press freedom environment, fuelling harassment campaigns, providing political cover for repressive legislation, and heightening the risk of violence. These dynamics have forced at least 913 journalists from 15 countries into exile between 2018 and 2024, as civic space shrinks and legal persecution intensifies.
The Costa Rica litigation surgery was convened in response to this deepening crisis – not only for journalists, but also for those defending them. Many lawyers now face threats, harassment, and surveillance because of the cases they take on. In this complex landscape, strengthening regional legal defence is not merely professional development; it is an essential intervention to safeguard independent journalism and the public’s right to know.
These litigation surgeries are more than technical trainings: they create spaces where lawyers can refine strategies, exchange practical insights, and build regional support networks. As Carlos Gaio noted, participants routinely share precedents, information and arguments that strengthen defence efforts before national and regional courts. The model: expert guidance, collaborative problem-solving, and links to regional and international mechanisms, helps legal practitioners respond more effectively to the challenges facing independent journalism.
Participant testimonies
Hear directly from participants in our video interviews as they describe the pressures facing journalists in their countries and the strategies they are using to respond:
