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Alert

Two television journalists abused by political party's activists for surreptitiously filming private political function

(IPYS/IFEX) - On 9 March 2007, journalists Marco Antonio Vásquez and Marco Sifuentes of the television programme "La Ventana Indiscreta" in Lima, were mistreated by several members of Partido Aprista Peruano (APRA, the government party), while they were recording a speech by former minister Carlos Arana during a ceremony in which he was paid tribute to by the political party in its headquarters in the district of Pueblo Libre, in Lima. Arana resigned from his position after being the target of accusations by the media.

According to Vásquez's version of events, he took out his video camera when he noticed that others among the audience were taping the ceremony. The videotape contains images of the moment when Arana's brother ordered a group of party members to seize the tape. Vásquez was taken into a room and held there against his will until the meeting ended. During the half hour he was kept there, the party members tried to intimidate him into giving them the tape and the camera.

Sifuentes was able to tape the speech with a hidden camera. During the event, Arana revealed that he resigned in order to avoid creating problems for President Alan García. As Sifuentes was leaving the premises, six men followed him and beat him. The journalist was able to escape thanks to the television station's driver who picked him up. They returned for Vásquez a few minutes later.

The journalists did not identify themselves as such before entering the party's meeting, which was private. They did so, however, before they were assaulted. IPYS believes that, although APRA's security personnel would have been right to ask them to leave, they violated the law by preventing Vázquez from leaving when he wanted to and by assaulting Sifuentes. On 13 March the party's Secretary General, Mauricio Mulder, stated that those responsible will be punished.