Freedom of expression has lost ground in some Latin American countries amidst harassment in dictatorial regimes and democratic governments, said the President of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Alejandro Aguirre.

Cuba, Venezuela and the nations close to the policies implemented by President Hugo Chávez are among the countries with a "highly hostile attitude towards the press," Aguirre added, as reported by Efe.

On the occasion of the mid-year meeting of IAPA, which begins on Friday in Oranjestad (Aruba), Aguirre -who is the deputy director of Diario Las Américas in Miami- stressed that in the last few years press freedom has been undermined, as governments lack political commitment to respect such right.

Aguirre highlighted "the house arrest of Guillermo Zuloaga, the president of private TV news channel Globovisión, and the repeated closures of private TV station RCTV, which obviously show a biased position against this company."

During the meeting, José Miguel Vivanco, the director of Human Rights Watch, will be awarded a prize by the IAPA for "his outstanding work in defending freedom of expression and the principles of the Declaration of Chapultepec."

Vivanco will be part of a panel on "Press Freedom in Latin America," with a particular emphasis on the Venezuelan case.