Dozens of Cuban journalists who have been forced to leave their country could benefit from the new program launched by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), aimed at supporting communication professionals in situations of exile or forced displacement due to persecution.
On Friday, the SIP announced the creation of the Latin American Network of Journalism in Exile (RELPEX), a project aimed at ensuring employment and supporting media outlets displaced by harassment from authoritarian regimes in the region.
According to the founding note, RELPEX is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and collaborates with organizations such as DW Akademie, UNESCO, and the Institute for Press and Freedom of Expression (IPLEX) in Costa Rica.
These entities will contribute specific programs and resources for the project's beneficiaries, which in its first year plans to launch an employment program that will enable up to 10 Latin American journalists to secure contracts with media outlets in the countries where they have settled after fleeing persecution.
The SIP highlighted the sustained increase of journalists forced into exile in countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, and Ecuador, as well as internal displacement in Mexico and Colombia due to threats from criminal groups, corrupt officials, and authoritarian governments.
"The violence, threats, and harassment have led to the shutdown of newsrooms in their home countries, forcing them to relocate their operations abroad," the statement indicates.
The executive director of the SIP, Carlos Lauría, reaffirmed the organization's commitment to press freedom.
"Every time a journalist is forced into exile, the goal of those seeking to silence them is devastatingly achieved," he expressed.
The situation in Cuba has been particularly alarming. Last month, the regime intensified repressive actions against independent journalists, especially those linked to media outlets like elTOQUE, Cubanet, and Periodismo de Barrio, which operate from the United States with networks of collaborators on the island.
The attacks included brief detentions, intimidation, confiscation of electronic devices and money, and threats of long prison sentences.
These actions are part of an increasing pattern of repression against independent media on the island.
Journalists such as Carlos Manuel Álvarez, Mónica Baró, Karla María Pérez González, and Yoe Suárez, among many others, have been exiled and victims of harassment by the Cuban regime in recent years.
The launch of RELPEX represents a unique opportunity for Cuban journalists seeking to rebuild their lives outside the island, facing challenges such as professional integration and the continuity of their journalistic work.
The initiative is also a call to the international community to defend freedom of expression and support those who have been silenced.
Press freedom knows no borders, and the fight to protect journalists remains a priority, emphasized the SIP.
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