Journalists accused of terrorism

(IPYS/IFEX) – Jaime Luis Meza Tello, director of the news programme “Informacion al día”, distributed on the Radio Mar subsidiary in Cerro de Pasco, and Luis Barba Canoa, director of the opinion and interview programme “El Reportero”, and correspondent with Radio Programas del Perú in the same city, have been informed by the local police […]

(IPYS/IFEX) – Jaime Luis Meza Tello, director of the news programme
“Informacion al día”, distributed on the Radio Mar subsidiary in Cerro
de
Pasco, and Luis Barba Canoa, director of the opinion and interview
programme
“El Reportero”, and correspondent with Radio Programas del Perú in the
same
city, have been informed by the local police that they are suspected
of
terrorism.

This denunciation is based on a statement made by the provincial mayor
of
the Cerro de Pasco governing party, Oswaldo De la Cruz Vásquez. On the
night
of 18 March 1999, unknown persons left a grenade and a letter at the
door of
one of the mayor’s businesses. In the letter, a large sum of money was
demanded from the mayor, in exchange for his being allowed to work in
peace.
The mayor was asked by police to identify his enemies or persons with
whom
he had recently had problems. De la Cruz stated that he did not have
any
enemies but that since before the municipal elections he had had
problems
with the journalists in question, because of the constant criticisms
of him.

IPYS was able to communicate with Meza and Barba, both of whom
suggested
that indeed, before the elections they had maintained a critical view
of all
the candidates’ work plans, most of whom they had interviewed.
However, the
current mayor never accepted their invitation and he had been trying
to use
his influence so that the journalists would be fired. After a visit to
Lima,
the mayor returned to Cerro de Pasco, as the recently appointed
administrative manager of the Radio “A” subsidiary, and proceeded to
eliminate Barba’s radio slot.

The journalists informed IPYS that for some months now they had been
receiving anonymous threatening and insulting telephone calls, and
that this
situation has become even more complicated now that they had begun to
oversee the mayor’s management of his affairs. Meza denounced the fact
that,
three days earlier, his house was stoned and his windows were broken
by
unknown persons.

Despite the fact that the mayor corrected his initial statement in a
public
letter, the police had already begun their investigation, and had gone
ahead
to obtain a statement from the journalists. They also inspected the
journalists’ homes searching for physical proof that would refute or
confirm
their suspicions about them. Meza submitted his statement on 1 April,
so
that afterwards, according to the law, the inspection could be carried
out
in the presence of the assistant attorney, Bernardo Rojas. No proof
was
found linking him to terrorism. The journalists also signed a document
in
which they agreed to collaborate with the investigation and to remain
in the
city while the investigation continues.

Recommended Action

Jorge Santistevan de Noriega

Ombudsman

Lima, Peru

Fax: +51 1 426 6657

Lieutenant General Fernando Dianderas Otonne1

General Director of the Peruvian National Police

Lima, Peru

Fax: +51 1 225 1775
Cornel PNP Luis Delgado Medina

Chief of the Peruvian National Police – Cerro de Pasco

Cerro de Pasco, Peru

Fax: +51 64 722 117
Oswaldo de la Cruz Vásquez

Cerro de Pasco Mayor

Cerro de Pasco, Peru

Fax: +51 64 722 262