(AMARC/IFEX) – According to AMARC, the Uruguayan Ministry of Defense (which controls Communications) presented a new legislative bill in mid-March which proposes up to four years in prison for those who use radio frequencies without authorization. The bill also proposes penalties of up to three years in prison against anyone who provides the space from […]
(AMARC/IFEX) – According to AMARC, the Uruguayan Ministry of Defense (which
controls Communications) presented a new legislative bill in mid-March which
proposes up to four years in prison for those who use radio frequencies
without
authorization. The bill also proposes penalties of up to three years in
prison
against anyone who provides the space from which these radio stations
operate.
This new repressive initiative follows an earlier bill presented in June
1997 by
the National Party which called for ten year prison sentences for certain
offenses. (See IFEX alert of 25 July 1997.) This previous bill is coming up
soon
for consideration by the Defense Committee of the House of Congress.
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 30 and 25 July 1997**
Although the radio stations — who are members of the Coalition of Community
Radio Stations of Uruguay (la Coordinadora de Radios Comunitarias del
Uruguay –
ECOS)– have publicly expressed their interest in obtaining the required
permits, the repressive attitude of the Ministry of Defense, as well as
pressure
from the association of private radio stations, ANDEBU, and from the
International Radio Broadcasting Association (Asociacion Internacional de
Radiodifusion – AIR), whose headquarters is in Uruguay, has meant continuous
searches of radio studios, confiscation of equipment and threats to the
security
of the young broadcasters.
According to AMARC, however, the problem could be resolved very simply if the
relevant authorities provide the necessary authorizations (even if only on an
experimental basis) in order to normalize the situation. This would also
promote
a space for pluralistic dialogue in order to achieve a system of regulation
that
would include these new initiatives.
