Updated

The Inter American Press Association says freedom of the press has sharply deteriorated in the Americas over the last six months.

The advocacy group blamed a significant increase in censorship and physical attacks on journalists for waning press freedom. The group delivered its conclusion on Tuesday at the end of its 70th General Assembly.

The IAPA said 11 journalists were killed in violence "carried out by organized crime, drug traffic hitmen and police-style groups on the orders of several governments of the region."

Journalists also suffered physical violence in almost every country in the region, including in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru during election coverage, and in the U.S. city of Ferguson, Missouri, and the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro while reporting on street protests.