(IPYS/IFEX) – On 16 July 2004, investigate journalist Carlos Eduardo Huertas, of the Colombian magazine “Semana”, was mistreated by security personnel at the Albrook airport in Panama. Huertas had submitted a formal request to the Panamanian Civil Aviation authorities for permission to view certain public documents. The incident occurred when Huertas went to the airport […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 16 July 2004, investigate journalist Carlos Eduardo Huertas, of the Colombian magazine “Semana”, was mistreated by security personnel at the Albrook airport in Panama. Huertas had submitted a formal request to the Panamanian Civil Aviation authorities for permission to view certain public documents. The incident occurred when Huertas went to the airport to obtain a response to his request.
Huertas went to the aviation authorities’ offices on the morning of 16 July. The receptionist informed him that he would not be able to meet with anyone. As this was the fourth time the authorities had refused to meet with him, the journalist told the receptionist that he was going to record her response so that he could have proof of his visit.
A security guard approached Huertas and informed him that recording was prohibited inside the building. He repeated that the journalist would not be able to meet with anyone and asked him to leave the premises. As he was leaving the building, Huertas was approached by a police officer and five security guards. He explained that he is a journalist and that he had a right to tape the conversation since he was in a public space.
While the police officer was examining Huertas’s identity papers, Civil Aviation Assistant Director Humberto Echavarría arrived at the scene and repeated that recording was not permitted. One of the security guards grabbed Huertas from behind and another seized his tape recorder. The tape was destroyed.
Huertas told Echavarría why he was at the airport and showed him the information request he had submitted. He asked Echavarría if he could interview him and the official agreed to make a statement “off the record”.
After a half hour, Huertas was allowed to leave with a warning that if he “breached security” again he would be arrested.
On 14 July, Huertas had been asked by police and airport security officials to leave the airport manager’s office. On that day, Huertas had asked the airport manager for permission to take his photograph, intending to use it to demonstrate the authorities’ failure to give him the information he had requested.