(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 19 May 2000 letter to Attorney General Adolfo González Rodas, CPJ expressed great concerned for the safety of journalists in Guatemala, based on information the organisation received from the Centro para la Defensa de Libertad de Expresion (CEDEX), a Guatemalan press freedom organization. According to a CEDEX communiqué sent on 18 […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 19 May 2000 letter to Attorney General Adolfo González Rodas, CPJ expressed great concerned for the safety of journalists in Guatemala, based on information the organisation received from the Centro para la Defensa de Libertad de Expresion (CEDEX), a Guatemalan press freedom organization.
According to a CEDEX communiqué sent on 18 May, at least four reporters for the Guatemala City daily “elPeriodico” were threatened or intimidated while the newspaper was preparing an investigative article about a secret intelligence operation.
On Monday 15 May, “elPeriodico” published an article describing a secret intelligence agency run by the Presidential High Command (Estado Mayor Presidencial) under the direction of a retired military officer, Jacobo Salán Sánchez. The night before the story ran, a reporter with the newspaper was followed to his residence by a Plymouth automobile with its license plates covered. Several other reporters who worked on the story or who cover military affairs have received threatening phone calls or have been followed recently by cars without license plates.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the attorney general:
- stating that, given Guatemala’s unfortunate history of violence against journalists, these recent reports are alarming
- noting particularly concern over the possibility that the Guatemalan government may have threatened journalists in order to prevent them from covering an issue of obvious public interest
- urgently requesting him to investigate these allegations, and to keep the freedom of expression community updated with any information relating to your findings
- urging him to take adequate measures to ensure that journalists in Guatemala are able to work safely, without threats or intimidation
Appeals To
Adolfo González Rodas
Attorney General
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Tel: +011 502 331 1006
Fax: +011 502 332 1804
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
