The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, the association for business journalists, celebrates the granting of asylum to Mexican reporter Emilio Gutiérrez Soto – a victory that underscores the increasing need to protect journalists and their work.
After a 15-year legal battle, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that Gutiérrez Soto is eligible for asylum. The reporter sought refuge in the United States after facing persecution in Mexico for his reporting on its military.
SABEW, along with other journalism organizations, supported the National Press Club in advocating for Gutiérrez Soto during his legal battle.
“Reporters who do their work under threat of prosecution take extraordinary risks,” said Henry Dubroff, chair of the SABEW First Amendment Committee. “Although it took far too long, the granting of asylum to Emilio Gutiérrez Soto was the right decision.”
While Gutiérrez Soto’s asylum is a cause for celebration, it also reminds us that there is more work to be done to safeguard journalists around the world. Many risk their well-being and lives for merely doing their job — reporting the news.
SABEW continues to advocate for the release of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly six months. He was denied the latest appeal against his pretrial detention on September 19. His illegal detention has now been extended until Nov. 30.
Gutiérrez Soto’s successful asylum appeal is a win for journalism, but the fight for press freedom and the protection of reporters continues.
