56. This new law “makes it a crime to publish information received … concerning a third party … without
express permission of that third party, if the individual concerned claims that the publication would
cause him or her prejudice.” Panama: Proposed
Criminal Code Severely Restricts Freedom of
Expression and Information, Article 19, February 22,
2007, http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/panamacriminal-code.pdf; and International Freedom of
Expression Exchange, “President signs into law
penal code amendments that threaten press freedom,” March 27, 2007, http://www.ifex.org/en/
content/view/full/82026. Though Panama had made
moves in 2005 to improve press freedoms, desacato
is still legally valid. Committee to Protect Journalists,
“Attacks on the press in 2005: Americas,”
http://www.cpj.org/attacks05/americas05/
panama_05.html.
57. Human Rights Watch, “Venezuela: Curbs on free
expression tightened,” March 24, 2005,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/24/venezu
10368.htm.
58. For more details on the case, see Article 19, Global
Campaign for Free Expression, amicus curiae brief
on Inter-American Court of Human Rights Case No.
12. 367 “La Nacion,” Defamation Law as Restriction
on Freedom of Expression, http://www.article19.org/
pdfs/cases/costa-rica-written-comments-in-ulloa-v.costa-.pdf.
59. Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Case of
Herrera-Ulloa v. Costa Rica. Judgment of July 2,
2004, http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/
articulos/seriec_107_ing.pdf.
60. See Reporters Without Borders, Brazil: Annual
Report 2006, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_
article=17415, stating that the 1967 press law has
never been repealed. In this law, “insults” and “libel”
are crimes whose sentences can be increased if a
public official has been targeted. See also Press Law
no. 5.250/67, Article 75, http://www.sipiapa.com/
projects/laws-bra7.cfm.
61. Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas,
University of Texas at Austin, http://knightcenter.
utexas.edu/newsmonitor_article.php?page=6913;
and Consultor Jurídico, “Comunicação na rede Para
Justiça, Internet está sujeita à Lei de Imprensa,” (in
Portuguese) November 22, 2006, http://conjur.
estadao.com.br/static/text/50369,1.
62. Reporters Without Borders, “Electoral court censors
blog that posted cartoon of senatorial candidate,”
September 8, 2006, at http://www.rsf.org/article.
php3?id_article=18801.
63. Global Voices Online, “Election and censorship
dialectics in the Brazilian blogosphere,” September
1, 2006, http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2006/09/
01/election-and-censorship-dialectics-in-the-brazilian-blogosphere/.
64. Reporters Without Borders, “Judge cuts back censorship order, allowing websites to reinstate banned
pages,” December 16, 2005, http://www.rsf.org/
article.php3?id_article=15908.
65. Ibid.
66. Reuters, “Phone companies in Brazil blocking
YouTube,” January 9, 2007, http://www.reuters.com/
article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0841810920070109.
67. Reporters Without Borders, “Judge lifts blocking
order on YouTube,” January 9, 2007,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20342.
68. Patrick Symmes, “Che is dead,” Wired, February
1998, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.02/
cuba.html.
69. The government “concedes that some sites are
blocked, but say these are ‘terrorist, xenophobic, or
pornographic.’ Websites based in the US which publish articles by dissidents from within Cuba are generally inaccessible.” BBC News, “Web censorship:
Correspondent reports: Cuba: Stephen Gibbs,
Havana,” May 29, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/
hi/technology/5024874.stm.
70. Reporters Without Borders, “Going online in Cuba:
Internet under surveillance,” October 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_gb_md_1.pdf.
71. 1996 Decree-Law 209; see Reporters Without
Borders, “Going online in Cuba: Internet under surveillance,” October 2006, http://www.rsf.org/IMG/
pdf/rapport_gb_md_1.pdf.
72. Ibid.
73. Reporters Without Borders, “Going online in Cuba:
Internet under surveillance,” October 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_gb_md_1.pdf.
74. See R. Craig Woods, “Comment and Casenote: The
United States-Chile free trade agreement: Will it stop
intellectual property piracy or will American producers be forced to walk the plank?” Law and Business
Review of the Americas, Spring 2004 (10): 425.
75. Marcos J. Basso and Adriana C.K. Vianna, “The
Internet in Latin America: Barriers to intellectual
property protection: Intellectual property rights and
the digital era: Argentina and Brazil,” Sypmosium
article, The University of Miami Inter-American Law
Review, Spring 2003 (34): 277. See also James F.
Smith, Katherine C. Pearson, and Michael L. Rustad,
Book Review: “Why Mexico? Why Mexican Law?
Why Now? A Review Essay of Mexican Law, by
Stephen Zamora, Jose Ramon Cossio, Leonel
Pereznieto, Jose Roldan-Xopa, and David Lopez,”
Penn State International Law Review, Fall 2005 (24):
412.
Regional Overviews
205
express permission of that third party, if the individual concerned claims that the publication would
cause him or her prejudice.” Panama: Proposed
Criminal Code Severely Restricts Freedom of
Expression and Information, Article 19, February 22,
2007, http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/panamacriminal-code.pdf; and International Freedom of
Expression Exchange, “President signs into law
penal code amendments that threaten press freedom,” March 27, 2007, http://www.ifex.org/en/
content/view/full/82026. Though Panama had made
moves in 2005 to improve press freedoms, desacato
is still legally valid. Committee to Protect Journalists,
“Attacks on the press in 2005: Americas,”
http://www.cpj.org/attacks05/americas05/
panama_05.html.
57. Human Rights Watch, “Venezuela: Curbs on free
expression tightened,” March 24, 2005,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/24/venezu
10368.htm.
58. For more details on the case, see Article 19, Global
Campaign for Free Expression, amicus curiae brief
on Inter-American Court of Human Rights Case No.
12. 367 “La Nacion,” Defamation Law as Restriction
on Freedom of Expression, http://www.article19.org/
pdfs/cases/costa-rica-written-comments-in-ulloa-v.costa-.pdf.
59. Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Case of
Herrera-Ulloa v. Costa Rica. Judgment of July 2,
2004, http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/
articulos/seriec_107_ing.pdf.
60. See Reporters Without Borders, Brazil: Annual
Report 2006, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_
article=17415, stating that the 1967 press law has
never been repealed. In this law, “insults” and “libel”
are crimes whose sentences can be increased if a
public official has been targeted. See also Press Law
no. 5.250/67, Article 75, http://www.sipiapa.com/
projects/laws-bra7.cfm.
61. Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas,
University of Texas at Austin, http://knightcenter.
utexas.edu/newsmonitor_article.php?page=6913;
and Consultor Jurídico, “Comunicação na rede Para
Justiça, Internet está sujeita à Lei de Imprensa,” (in
Portuguese) November 22, 2006, http://conjur.
estadao.com.br/static/text/50369,1.
62. Reporters Without Borders, “Electoral court censors
blog that posted cartoon of senatorial candidate,”
September 8, 2006, at http://www.rsf.org/article.
php3?id_article=18801.
63. Global Voices Online, “Election and censorship
dialectics in the Brazilian blogosphere,” September
1, 2006, http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2006/09/
01/election-and-censorship-dialectics-in-the-brazilian-blogosphere/.
64. Reporters Without Borders, “Judge cuts back censorship order, allowing websites to reinstate banned
pages,” December 16, 2005, http://www.rsf.org/
article.php3?id_article=15908.
65. Ibid.
66. Reuters, “Phone companies in Brazil blocking
YouTube,” January 9, 2007, http://www.reuters.com/
article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0841810920070109.
67. Reporters Without Borders, “Judge lifts blocking
order on YouTube,” January 9, 2007,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20342.
68. Patrick Symmes, “Che is dead,” Wired, February
1998, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.02/
cuba.html.
69. The government “concedes that some sites are
blocked, but say these are ‘terrorist, xenophobic, or
pornographic.’ Websites based in the US which publish articles by dissidents from within Cuba are generally inaccessible.” BBC News, “Web censorship:
Correspondent reports: Cuba: Stephen Gibbs,
Havana,” May 29, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/
hi/technology/5024874.stm.
70. Reporters Without Borders, “Going online in Cuba:
Internet under surveillance,” October 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_gb_md_1.pdf.
71. 1996 Decree-Law 209; see Reporters Without
Borders, “Going online in Cuba: Internet under surveillance,” October 2006, http://www.rsf.org/IMG/
pdf/rapport_gb_md_1.pdf.
72. Ibid.
73. Reporters Without Borders, “Going online in Cuba:
Internet under surveillance,” October 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_gb_md_1.pdf.
74. See R. Craig Woods, “Comment and Casenote: The
United States-Chile free trade agreement: Will it stop
intellectual property piracy or will American producers be forced to walk the plank?” Law and Business
Review of the Americas, Spring 2004 (10): 425.
75. Marcos J. Basso and Adriana C.K. Vianna, “The
Internet in Latin America: Barriers to intellectual
property protection: Intellectual property rights and
the digital era: Argentina and Brazil,” Sypmosium
article, The University of Miami Inter-American Law
Review, Spring 2003 (34): 277. See also James F.
Smith, Katherine C. Pearson, and Michael L. Rustad,
Book Review: “Why Mexico? Why Mexican Law?
Why Now? A Review Essay of Mexican Law, by
Stephen Zamora, Jose Ramon Cossio, Leonel
Pereznieto, Jose Roldan-Xopa, and David Lopez,”
Penn State International Law Review, Fall 2005 (24):
412.
Regional Overviews
205