15 July 2003
IFEX MEMBERS CALL ATTENTION TO ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS
As Guatemala prepares for presidential elections in November, IFEX members are calling attention to an increasing number of attacks and threats against journalists. Journalists Against Corruption (Periodistas frente a la corrupción, PFC) says there have been 18 attacks in the past seven months, half of them occurring in June and July. Four of the cases involved members of the independent news agency Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala (CERIGUA), whose director, Ileana Alamilla, heads the Association of Guatemalan Journalists' (APG) Press Freedom Committee.
PFC says the journalists have "primarily distinguished themselves" with reports on corruption and other illicit activities involving government officials and members of the ruling party. "The situation in Guatemala is characterised by rampant corruption, constant human rights violations and institutional resistance to investigating and punishing those responsible for the abuses. For this reason, the work of media outlets [that] maintain their independence from the ruling party has been extremely important in the fight against corruption in the country," PFC notes.
PFC says the purpose of the attacks is to silence journalists, "a practice carried forward from Guatemala's past, when people were assassinated for simply expressing themselves."
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has also noted the connection between attacks and threats against journalists and their coverage of official corruption and human rights abuses. During a visit to Guatemala last March, the IACHR expressed concern to the Guatemalan government about "an increase in threats to journalists, particularly those who cover investigations related to acts of corruption and human rights violations."
This week, the IACHR Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, reiterated the commission's concern over the situation, saying the attacks "are not isolated incidents."
PFC and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have separately written to the Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Journalists and Trade Unionists, Marco Antonio Cortez, urging him to immediately conduct a thorough investigation into the attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice. While expressing support for a joint initiative by the prosecutor and APG to establish a hotline to report attacks on journalists and develop a joint strategy to prevent attacks, CPJ says such initiatives will not be effective if impunity remains.
Full details of the 18 cases documented by PFC are available here: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/52114/
Visit these links:
- PFC: http://www.portal-pfc.org
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/protests/03ltrs/Guatemala26june03pl.html
- IACHR Rapporteur on Free Expression: http://www.cidh.oas.org/Relatoria/English/PressRel03/PRelease8303.htm
- Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/07/guatemala071503.htm
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