(SPP/IFEX) – The following is a chronology of the events around the time of the attempted May 2000 coup, and the repercussions for the press. The report, which contains up to date information, was put together by the SPP’s Human Rights Secretariat: CHRONOLOGY OF THE ATTEMPTED COUP AND THE STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN PARAGUAY […]
(SPP/IFEX) – The following is a chronology of the events around the time of the attempted May 2000 coup, and the repercussions for the press. The report, which contains up to date information, was put together by the SPP’s Human Rights Secretariat:
CHRONOLOGY OF THE ATTEMPTED COUP AND THE STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN PARAGUAY
(As of May 18, with up to date data)
MAY
Day 18
– At 11:00 PM, the Minister of Defense, Nelson Argaña officially announced that the REGIMIENTO DE CABALLERIA (a sector of the Army) was taken over by rebels loyal to former General Lino Oviedo, fugitive at that moment.
– Between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM, six men armed and dressed in military uniforms arrived at the offices of Radio Cardinal and Channel 13. They entered the station’s transmission cabin and the television studios, and waited there for an order. When they were interrogated by journalists and technicians, they left. One of the uniformed men fired a shot in the air while they were running away on foot. The channel’s employees filmed the intruders, who remained for about an hour and had their faces covered. When the members of the Presidential Guard learned about this incident, they came to the two media’s facilities to protect them. Two of the intruders were arrested when they came back to the vehicle they had parked near by.
– At around 11:30 PM, about six men with military uniforms entered the premises of Radio 9.70. The group was led by retired Colonel Fernando Ugarte. They demanded that the operator and the press workers air their proclamation, which they had recorded on a cassette. The request was denied by the chief of press, Marta Gimenez, who also asked them to leave. However the rebels used threats and demanded that the material be broadcast. The National Police was informed of what was happening at the radio station and was asked to send some guards to protect the workers, but failed to respond to the request. Given the lack of security, the proclamation was aired at 11:55 PM. Later on, the intruders left the radio’s premises but left behind two individuals, dressed in civilian clothing, who demanded that the proclamation be aired over and over again. A considerable number of persons in military uniforms were posted near the station.
– The director of Radio 9.70, Alejandro Dominguez, informed La Nacion daily that he would take action against those who had committed this act against the station so that those responsible for this violation of press freedom, and the tense moments the radio’s employees lived through, would be punished.
Day 19
– At 1:30 AM the Executive declared, by decree, a State of Emergency for 30 days in all of the nation’s territory, in response to the failed coup. Article 288 of the National Constitution states that in case of severe upheaval within the country that may endanger the supremacy of the Constitution and the normal functioning of the State, the National Congress or the Executive may declare a State of Emergency for up to 60 days.
– Around dawn, the equipment of Radio Ybyturuzú, which operates in the city of Villarica, was destroyed by unknown persons that entered the premises soon after the police arrested the night watchman, under the charge of “resistance to police authority”. The police arrived at the station looking for Gustavo Mussi, brother of the radio station’s owner, accused of being a supporter of former General Lino Oviedo.
– The National Congress approved the Executive’s decree, which declared a State of Emergency in all of the nation’s territory.
– At 6:00 PM the director of Radio Nanawa from Luque, Juan Carlos Bernabé, was arrested at his home. He was known to be a supporter of General Lino Oviedo.
– The owners of Radio Asuncion, Adriana and Miguel Fernández, known as supporters of Lino Oviedo, were arrested at 7:00 PM at the radio station. The State of Emergency in force facilitated the detention of individuals.
– After the detention of Radio Nanawa’s director, three phone lines owned by the station were cut. Nevertheless, the station continued to broadcast.
Day 20
– The Executive decreed the detention of Hugo Ruíz Olazar, journalist for the ABC Color newspaper and correspondent for the newspaper Clarin from Buenos Aires and the AFP agency in Asuncion. He was accused of being involved with the 18 May failed coup attempt. The order was issued under the auspices of the State of Emergency. When Olazar first heard of the detention order issued against him, he remained at the premises of the ABC Color newspaper, for his personal security.
– More than a dozen police officers, armed with machine guns, entered the Radio Asuncion premises and proceeded to unplug the cables that permit the station to go on the air. At the same time they took some of the equipment, including four consoles. According to the Executive’s spokesmen, the dismantling was carried out as per a judicial order issued a few days previously, but they did not clarify that the judicial order only allowed for the seizure of one piece of UHF transmission equipment.
– In the name of the State of Emergency, peasants without land who had been staying at the side of the road in Caazapá, were evicted from their provisonial camps. On this occasion, two peasants and the correspondent in Caazapá for the Ultima Hora newspaper, Albert Robles, were kidnapped for a few hours, and their whereabouts were unknown. According to the peasants, this action was carried out by police officers, but they never showed them a decree forbidding the concentration of persons due to the State of Emergency.
Day 21
– The legal advisor of the ABC Color newspaper, Geronimo Angulo Gaston, filed a preventive habeas corpus in favor of journalist Hugo Ruíz Olazar before the judge on duty, Gustavo Ocampos. He pleaded that the State of Emergency decree does not specify which rights are restricted, and that the detention order does not specify the supposed transgression. Judge Ocampos submitted an official communication to the President, the National Police and the Supreme Court of Justice, requesting background information on the decree ordering the press worker’s detention, within 24 hours.
– The Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic, Jaime Bestard, stated that retired military officers arrested as the main suspects in the attempted coup, had provided overwhelming evidence of the link existing between journalist Hugo Ruíz Olazar and the rebels. He did not give further details but said that the evidence would be presented to the court by the Minister of Defense.
Day 22
– The Managing Commission of the SPP presented a letter to the President expressing its concerns over the way in which the State of Emergency was being applied, and the dangers this posed for the fundamental principle of freedom of expression. The letter pointed to the detention of Hugo Ruíz Olazar as a dangerous example, despite the extensive differences between the SPP and this journalist with regard to the responsible exercise of journalism (since he supports Lino Oviedo). The SPP noted that there are no press crimes but crimes committed through the press. The SPP also pointed out to the Executive that the State of Emergency does not enable the Government to encumber the means of communications, bearing in mind what happened to Radio Asuncion, which had its equipment dismantled. The SPP stated that if these persons are deemed to be responsible for criminal actions for defending the fugitive, Oviedo, the law must be applied but through the pertinent authorities. The same concern was voiced about the cases of Radio Ybyturuzú from Villarica and the correspondent for the Ultima Hora newspaper from Caazapá, Alberto Robles.
– The directors of Radio Asuncion, Adriana and Miguel Fernández, asked Judge Gustavo Ocampos to order their release taking into consideration the reparative habeas corpus filed in their favor.
– The SPP organized a plenary where the abuses committed by the Executive were criticized. Hugo Ruíz Olazar was also questioned about his exercise of journalism in a way that openly manipulated the information in Oviedo’s favor. During the plenary, all abuses committed in the name of the State of Emergency that affected press freedom were strongly criticized. The plenary also denounced the detention of Albert Robles and agreed to demand that the Executive present evidence which links journalist Hugo Ruíz Olazar with the failed coup, and to call for the reinstallation of Radio Asuncion. The frustrated attempt at destabilization promoted by Lino Oviedo’s supporters was also condemned.
Day 23
– The Executive’s advisor, Agustín González Insfrán, told the press that Radio Uno and the Noticias newspaper were running a campaign to discredit President Luis González Macchi. He said that their intention was to have President González Macchi removed so that Senator Juan Carlos Galaverna, President of the National Congress, could assume the Presidency.
Day 24
– Judge Gustavo Ocampos rejected the habeas corpus filed by journalist Hugo Ruíz Olazar and the owners of Radio Asuncion. He defended his decision by pointing out that the orders of detention were issued by a decree issued under the auspices of the State of Emergency.
– During the State of Emergency, officials of the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) and police officers dismantled four radio stations “because they were working illegally”. According to the Commission’s directors, the closing of the stations occurred as a result of judicial processes initiated before the attempted coup.
– After a meeting with the President of the Republic, the President of CONATEL, Victor Bogado, reported that 87 stations, including legal and illegal stations, were facing judicial processes for violation of broadcasting norms. He recognized that Radio 9.70 was on the list of radios being investigated, but he did not specify the requirement that this station had failed to fulfill. The Radio 9.70 directors noted that the station’s inclusion on CONATEL’s list is a consequence of pressure exercised by sectors of the Colorado Party in order to close this station.
– Senator José de Vargas, from the Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico, revealed during a Senate session that he had personally asked the President of the Republic to drop a bomb from a helicopter onto Radio 9.70’s antenna, at dawn on Friday 19 May. He claimed that this station, along with Radios Nanawa and Asuncion, were encouraging people to support the rebellion.
Day 25
– The SPP asked the courts, through the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Carlos Fernández Gadea, to strengthen its control over the way in which the State of Emergency was being applied, particularly on issues related to media and freedom of expression. The president of the Court responded that he would ask the Executive for reports and that each case would be studied separately. If there were abuses committed, the pertinent precautionary measures would be taken.
Day 26
– The Paraguayan Chancellor, Juan Esteban Aguirre, stated that the US State Department did not question the Executive’s decision to declare a State of Emergency; solely its high ranking officials suggested that care be taken so that authority was not abused.
– The President of the Republic, Luis González Macchi, answered the concerns of the SPP and the international organization Reporters sans frontiéres regarding the detention of journalists and the dismantling of radio stations in the name of the State of Emergency. Commenting on Hugo Ruíz Olazar’s case, he said that it had all happened because the journalist was clearly supporting Lino Oviedo. He also stated that Adriana and Miguel Fernández and Juan Carlos Bernabé were arrested because they had used their media to encourage people to disrespect the constitutional order. He pointed out that the dismantling of Radio Asuncion was a decision taken by CONATEL because the station had violated a number of regulations, and was not carried out as part of the State of Emergency.
Day 30
– The SPP submitted a new letter to the President of the Republic requesting the annulment of the detention order against journalist Hugo Ruíz Olazar, arguing that it was an unconstitutional measure since the President himself had said that the reason for the detention was not related to the State of Emergency. The SPP also demanded technical guarantees for the normal functioning of Radio Asuncion and for the security forces to allow Radio Ybyturuzú to go back on air. It pointed out that any responsibility of the directors of the mentioned stations during the attempted coup should be dealt with by the courts. The SPP also asked for an immediate lifting of the State of Emergency.
Day 31
– The President of the Republic, Luis González Macchi, through Decree N° 8.936, ordered the lifting of the State of Emergency that had been ordered by Decree N° 8.72.
JUNE
Day 1
– Radio Ybyturuzú went back on air after the Governor of the Guairá Department, Cándido Aguilera, granted security measures for its functioning. The equipment damaged during the May 19 sabotage was repaired by the owners.
– Constitutional Lawyer Eusebio Ramon Ayala told the press that since the State of Emergency had ceased, all persons arrested by Executive Decree and who were not being processed by the Ordinary Courts must be released.
Day 2
-The directors of Radio Asuncion, Miguel and Adriana Fernández, and the director of Radio Nanawa, Juan Carlos Bernabé, were released by a judicial order.
Day 14
-After General Lino Oviedo’s arrest in Foz de Yguazú, Brazil, among the documents found in his apartment there was a list called “diffusers”, which included journalists and media directors. Apparently, Oviedo was intending to order these persons’ assassination; most of these individuals were strongly opposed to Oviedo’s plan to establish fascism in Paraguay. The names of the following journalists appeared on the list: Mina Feliciángeli, Victor Benítez, Carlos Peralta, Stella Ruffinelli, Benjamín Fernández Bogado, Juan Andrés Cardozo and the directors of the newspapers Noticias, Eduardo Nicolás Bo, and Ultima Hora, Demetrio Rojas.
Day 23
-The directors of Radio Asuncion, Adriana and Miguel Fernández, filed a criminal charge against director of CONATEL Víctor Bogado and several other officials. The accusations include crimes against life, physical integrity, death threat, robbery and damages to property, for the abuses committed during the 20 May dismantling of the station, exceeding the judicial order.
JULY
Day 14
– Journalist Hugo Ruíz Olazar was delayed for several hours by Police officers at the Asuncion International Airport when he attempted to travel to Buenos Aires on an assignment. His name appeared on the Police database as a person who had problems with the law, a result of the May incidents. Afterwards, the Police clarified that it had only been a misunderstanding, since the capture order against Olazar had no effect after the lifting of the State of Emergency, as the Executive had not filed any charges against him before the courts.
