Protests in Bolivia: RSF distributes protective equipment to journalists facing continuing attacks

After documenting 14 attacks against media professionals in just seven days when the protests erupted in May, RSF continues to record new cases of journalists being assaulted by demonstrators and, in some instances, by members of the security forces, while carrying out their reporting duties.

"The current situation is not at all conducive to journalism in the country," RSF was told by Joaquín Martela, an independent investigative journalist and fact-checking specialist, and founder of the news outlet Joaquin Martela Informa. "We cannot do our job properly because we are constantly under threat. Demonstrators call us 'sell-outs' and, whenever we cover an event, we are attacked."

In response to the continuing threats to journalists, RSF, in partnership with the National Association of Journalists of Bolivia (ANPB) and the Journalists' Association of La Paz (APLP), has begun distributing 20 protective kits consisting of respirator masks with filters, helmets and safety goggles. The equipment is intended for reporters, photojournalists and camera operators covering demonstrations who lack access to adequate protective gear. The kits will be loaned on a temporary basis according to a priority order determined using transparent criteria.

Joaquín Martela, who has received one of the kits, stressed its importance in enabling him carry out his reporting. "Demonstrators throw stones while we are covering events, and the helmet protects our heads," he said. "The mask is also extremely useful because the police use tear gas, which, carried by the wind, reaches journalists as well. The mask protects us by reducing its effects."

Continuing attacks against the media

Violeta Tamayo, the Bolivia correspondent of the Argentine media outlet La Izquierda Diario, was injured during a police operation while covering a protest in the administrative capital La Paz on 10 June. Her outlet said police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators. Freelance journalist Nicolas Sanabria, the host of his own current affairs programme En Otro Formato, told the National Press Association (ANP) that he was struck by stones thrown at him while trying to interview demonstrators blocking a road near El Alto, an altiplano city adjacent to La Paz, four days later, on 14 June.

Bolivia ranks 91st out of 180 countries and territories in RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index. The decline in safety for journalists covering social unrest threatens both press freedom and the public's right to be informed.