The IFEX-ALC network urges the government of Bolivia to defend and guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the press; and to refrain from using the state’s power to pressure or penalize media outlets, as is happening with the Cochabamba newspaper Los Tiempos.
This pressure, which has alarmed both local and regional organizations, has translated into the newspaper being excluded from the allocation of state advertising, as well as into excessive oversight and audits that may result in fines and sanctions. This has put Los Tiempos under intense financial pressure, which could trigger its closure or force it to change its editorial line.
We in the IFEX-ALC network express our solidarity with Los Tiempos and voice our concern over what is viewed as an attempt to silence the newspaper.
We further call on the Bolivian government to put a stop to financial pressure from the state that limits the reporting work of those who practice journalism and whose efforts are aimed at informing everyone. As stipulated under Principle 13 of the IAHRC Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression, direct or indirect pressure intended to silence the work of the media is incompatible with freedom of expression.
We also appeal to the international community and to regional and international human rights watchdogs to monitor events in Bolivia and firmly reject any form of government pressure aimed at changing or suppressing the editorial line of independent media outlets and, in short, silencing them, through punitive economic measures.
About IFEX-ALC:
IFEX-ALC, part of the IFEX global network, comprises 24 organizations from 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that promote and defend freedom of expression and a free press.
