(IPYS/IFEX) – In the afternoon on 30 April 2000, journalist Ronald Ripa Casafranca received death threats. Ripa Casafranca is a young journalist and news director for Radio Panorama in Andahuaylas, in the southern department of ApurÃmac. The threats occurred after he transmitted various reports over the telephone about striking farmers in the region, and resulting […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – In the afternoon on 30 April 2000, journalist Ronald Ripa Casafranca received death threats. Ripa Casafranca is a young journalist and news director for Radio Panorama in Andahuaylas, in the southern department of ApurÃmac. The threats occurred after he transmitted various reports over the telephone about striking farmers in the region, and resulting demonstrations. The reports were also broadcast live by the Canal N television station in Lima.
The protests were organized by agricultural producers, who were demanding better prices for their products, a stop to the importing of potatoes (which are the regionâs main agricultural product), and the dismissal of local authorities, among other things. The strike began on Saturday 29 April, but the demonstrations began a day early. Ripa also began to report on the situation on 28 April, and his transmissions continued and increased as the demonstrations grew.
In a telephone interview with IPYS, Ripa reported that he received threatening telephone calls on 30 April. In the first call, at 3:00 p.m. (local time), they threatened to “disappear” him. In the second call, forty minutes later, they said “consider yourself dead”. Ripa noted that, coincidentally, the threats were made after he reported that members of the community denied that a statement which a government minister made on Canal 7 about the existence of an agreement between the government and the farmers was true. The existance of such an agreement would have avoided the need for a strike and demonstrations.
According to the journalist, confidential sources informed him that the order to disappear him in order to stop him from informing the Lima media originated in a meeting between ApurÃmacâs President of the Provisional Regional Administration (Comité Transitorio de Administracion Regional ApurÃmac, CTAR) ElÃas Segovia Ruiz and members of the National Intelligence Service.
In the afternoon of 30 April, because it was impossible to leave his house because of the serious risks he would be faced with, Ripa Casafranca called the Andahuaylas Police to report the threats. They replied that they were unable to register his complaint. On Monday 1 May, he was able to secure an interview with the provincial sub-prefect of Andahuaylas, who took note of the report after it was prepared formally on the morning of Tuesday 2 May.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:- protesting the death threats against the journalist
Appeals To
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori
President of the Republic
Fax: +51 1 427 6722 / 426 6535
Alberto Bustamante Belaunde
President of the Council of Ministers
Fax: +51 1 447 1628 / 475 0689
Martha Hildebrandt Pérez
President of Congress
Fax: +51 1 426 8290
Blanca Nélida Colán
Attorney General
Fax: +51 1 426 2474
Jorge Santistevan de Noriega
Ombudsman
Fax: +51 1 426 6657
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
