The U.S. Department of State published the 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, highlighting there “were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Costa Rica during the year,” and no credible reports of significant human rights abuses.
However, the document did point out certain findings that sounded the alarms, particularly regarding freedom of the press.
While Costa Rica’s Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and press freedom, and its courts uphold these rights, the report cited a ruling by the Constitutional Chamber, which ordered the Presidential Office to deliver previously denied information to a media outlet within 10 days, emphasizing that the “delayed response violated the right to access public information.”
“Some journalists, media outlets, and civil society organizations expressed concern that public exchanges between government officials and certain media entities contributed to a more cautious approach among reporters questioning the government on sensitive topics,” the report stated.
U.S. authorities pointed out that last December, two state-owned companies chose to withdraw their advertising from the largest television station following the release of “satirical videos” that highlighted alleged government challenges in addressing various matters.
The show, called El Chinamo, is extremely popular during the holidays. The decision raised concern among some organizations, which viewed it as a potential attempt to use state funding to influence editorial content.
The report also covered labor laws and rights. The law grants workers the right to form and join independent unions, bargain collectively, and conduct legal strikes, with certain restrictions. Antiunion discrimination is prohibited, and reinstatement is required for workers fired for union activity.
Yet, enforcement of labor rights is inconsistent, with delays in registering collective bargaining agreements and a tendency for employers to favor solidarity associations or permanent committees over unions. Labor groups report that some employers make association membership a condition for employment, use these parallel organizations to bypass unions, and thereby erode union independence.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has expressed concern about the growing number of direct agreements with nonunionized workers and the low number of collective bargaining agreements in the private sector.
