Maribel Gutierrez Moreno, Mexico

Since its inception, El Sur has endured a campaign of intimidation. In June 1995, Gutierrez wrote a series of extensive and independent articles covering the massacre of 17 unarmed peasants. The paper's coverage helped reveal the role of the government in the massacre and led to the resignation of Guerrero's governor. Because of her reports, Gutierrez has been blacklisted and threatened.

Gutierrez continues her work at El Sur and focuses on regional coverage. She recently wrote on the forced sterilization of indigenous people as a form of ethnic extermination, and on civil rights violations by the army. Gutierrez has also written a book on violence in Guerrero. She says, "Even under adverse conditions, we must defend at every moment the right to information and freedom of expression."