Photo by Esther Vargas on Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0 license This story was written by Laura Vidal for IFEX, a Global Voices media partner and global network of organizations defending free speech. October in the Americas witnessed intensifying pressures on freedom of expression, with new legislative actions and escalating threats to journalists marking a difficult month for civic space. In Paraguay, proposed legislation requiring non-profits to disclose detailed financial and personnel records threatens to hinder independent media’s ability to operate freely. Argentina saw a surge in governmen…