18 February 2009

COMMUNITY RADIO DIRECTOR GUNNED DOWN


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The director of a community radio station in eastern Paraguay was killed in his home last month, report the Paraguayan Union of Journalists (SPP) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Martín Ocampos Páez, director of the Hugua Ñandu FM community radio station, was shot to death on 12 January. IFJ and the Paraguayan Union of Journalists (SPP) say his death may have been linked to comments Ocampos made about the complicity of the police and local officials with drug traffickers in the region. According to SPP, he had repeatedly been threatened by traffickers.

SPP says violence against the media in Paraguay is on the rise, partly because "the government cannot provide security to the most vulnerable."

SPP has also recently spoken out against the death threats and assault reported by journalist Aldo Lezcano, a correspondent for the daily "ABC Color", after he reported on financial irregularities of a war veterans' union, as well as the attacks against Richard Villasboa and camera operator Blas Salcedo, of the television station Canal 13, who were mistreated after they attempted to report on a local penitentiary.

Visit these links:
- IFJ: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/100858/
- IFEX Paraguay page: http://tinyurl.com/ah2qqr
(18 February 2009)



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Also from the Communiqué, 18 February 2009

INTERNATIONAL / GENDER: WOMEN JOURNALISTS INVITED TO APPLY FOR ELIZABETH NEUFFER FELLOWSHIP 18 February 2009 INTERNATIONAL: INTIMIDATION AND SELF-CENSORSHIP GREATEST THREATS TO PRESS FREEDOM, SAYS CPJ 18 February 2009 INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS NEWSPAPERS FORM ASSOCIATION TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF SPORTS PRESS 18 February 2009 UNITED KINGDOM: PHOTOGRAPHERS PROTEST NEW ANTI-TERROR LAW 18 February 2009 CHINA: GOVERNMENT TO BLACKLIST "FAKE" JOURNALISTS 18 February 2009 MEXICO: ANOTHER JOURNALIST KILLED; GOVERNMENT NOT DOING ENOUGH TO PROTECT MEDIA, SAY IFEX MEMBERS 18 February 2009 INTERNATIONAL: FOCUS ON MUSIC CENSORSHIP ON MUSIC FREEDOM DAY, 3 MARCH 18 February 2009

Paraguay

Journalist targeted by drug traffickers may have to move abroad 20 January 2012 Growing impunity for alleged instigators of radio journalist's murder 11 January 2012 Politicians accused of masterminding journalist's murder still at large 18 October 2011 Concern over judicial harassment of "ABC Color" newspaper 21 July 2011 SPP condemns death threats against journalists in Alto Verá 13 July 2011 See all alerts: Paraguay


South America

ECUADOR: Local media team banned from covering referendum vote counting 9 February 2012 ECUADOR: Fundamedios and AEDEP challenge constitutionality of amendments to Democracy Code 9 February 2012 VENEZUELA: Journalists attacked by men at funeral 8 February 2012 ECUADOR: Fundamedios condemns million-dollar fines against journalists Calderón and Zurita 8 February 2012


 
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