(IFJ/IFEX) – Congresswoman and journalist Anel Townsend Diez Canseco has requested that the Minister of the Interior, General Ep. José Villanueva Ruestas, appear in front of the Congressional Human Rights Committee, provide information on the measures that have been taken to protect the Radio Marañon journalists and guarantee freedom of the press in the region, […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – Congresswoman and journalist Anel Townsend Diez Canseco has
requested that the Minister of the Interior, General Ep. José Villanueva
Ruestas, appear in front of the Congressional Human Rights Committee,
provide information on the measures that have been taken to protect the
Radio Marañon journalists and guarantee freedom of the press in the
region,
as provided for by the Constitution.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 23 March, 22 March and 19 March 1999**
The congresswoman, who worked as a reporter for the Channel 2 television
station for two years, revealed that, to date, seven Radio Marañon
journalists have been threatened for reporting on human rights
violations.
She referred to the case of José Luis Linares Altamirano, who suffered
an
attack on his life on Thursday 18 March 1999, when he was shot by two
hooded
assailants, and to the cases of Olinda Mori Díaz, Homero Marín Salazar
and
Italo Salazar, who have been intimidated in recent days. The
congresswoman
further noted that the director of Radio Marañon, Luis Tavara Martín,
has
also been threatened, as have journalists Alejandro Ríos Montenegro and
Manuel Serna Lamadrid.
Townsend said that it is scandalous that in one of the country’s
provinces
there are journalists who are being shot, harassed and threatened by the
regional “forces of darkness” who are trying to disguise the threats and
make them appear as common crimes.
Martín echoed Townsend’s denunciation and asked for guarantees that
Radio
Marañon personnel be allowed to continue their broadcasting work. He
said
that he had been harrassed for years. As far back as 1995 he was accused
of
having collaborated with terrorists, an accusation that was later
refuted by
the authorities. He further added that he had received death on three
occasions and that, in the last four months, this slander and
intimidation
campaign had been accentuated.
Martín is a Jesuit priest who oversees those parts of the radio
programmes
that address environmental issues, the value of democracy and human
rights.
As he noted, apparently the broadcaster has come against strong local
groups
that do not want these campaigns to continue.
