9 March 1999
GAG LAWS USED AGAINST JOURNALISTS
The government of Panama is using gag laws to limit press freedom and punish journalists, in order to stifle debate prior to the 2 May presidential elections, says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In a 4 March letter sent to Panamanian President Ernesto Pérez Balladares, CPJ expressed alarm over the escalating enforcement of the laws, which were enacted during the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s. CPJ called on the President "to eliminate the gag laws, which establish prison terms for defamation, permit prior censorship, grant the government the right to regulate who may practice journalism, and criminalise criticism of the president and other officials." CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper writes, "The fact that such laws are on the books in Panama is of grave concern. Even more alarming is that a democratically elected head of state would use such laws to stifle public debate."
CPJ reports that "at least 85 journalists in Panama are currently being prosecuted for criminal defamation, in many instances because of articles criticising President Pérez Balladares." Criminal defamation cases have been on the increase since a 30 August referendum defeated a motion to amend the constitution to allow an incumbent president to seek a second term. Media laws provide jail terms for journalists who "spread false, exaggerated, or misleading news;" criticise the president or other officials; or show "disrespect" for the government. CPJ also notes that the government has the legal right to impose prior censorship, something it has used "to levy fines against newspapers that have published photographs of women in bathing suits and suspend journalists deemed guilty of using vulgar language." The letter is available in English and Spanish on CPJ's Website at http://www.cpj.org.
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