Journalists denounce lack of access to information

Association

In November 2018 the Constitutional Court published the final ruling on same-sex marriage, that had been demanded by LGBTI activists in the country. As reported previously, in August 2018, the Supreme Court of Justice declared that Costa Rica's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and ordered the National Assembly to enact legislation accordingly. However, in order to effectively enforce the decision, the court needed to publish the judgment as the court stated that if the National Assembly doesn’t reach an agreement within 18 months of the decision's publication, the amendments to the law will automatically enter into force.

Expression

In January 2019, the Costa Rican president Carlos Alvarado remarked that the country respects freedom of expression and journalism, and that a proof of that was when independent journalists from Nicaragua, such as Carlos Fernando Chamorro, decided to take exile in the country after claiming threats to their integrity and the right to exercise their freedom of expression in Nicaragua.

Despite the above, Costa Rican media such as CRHOY, a digital newspaper, has denounced the approach taken by the government, especially the Minister of Communication Nancy Marín, is not publishing the presidential agenda. They also condemned the increasingly reducing access to spaces to request information from the president, which has affected the work of the media. This is not the first time that this type of event has happened in Costa Rica. In 2018, too, journalists denounced the government for its lack of transparency.