(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 27 October 2005, Enrique Zamora Cruz, director of “El Orbe” regional newspaper, was detained in Tapachula, Chiapas state, and accused of defamation. Agents from the Chiapas attorney general’s office detained Zamora and took him to the coastal zone branch office to question him. He was held incommunicado for several hours while being […]
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 27 October 2005, Enrique Zamora Cruz, director of “El Orbe” regional newspaper, was detained in Tapachula, Chiapas state, and accused of defamation. Agents from the Chiapas attorney general’s office detained Zamora and took him to the coastal zone branch office to question him. He was held incommunicado for several hours while being questioned and informed he was charged with the defamation of Chiapas state governor Pablo Salazar Mendiguchia. Zamora was freed at dawn on 28 October.
According to a 28 October “El Orbe” article, the complaint refers to various recent articles about the government’s handling of the crisis caused by hurricane Stan, questioning mistreatment by government officials of the hurricane’s victims as well as alleging embezzlement of public funds. The newspaper also called for a thorough investigation of mayor Ángel Barrios Zea.
When a disaster or emergency occurs, the role of the media is extremely important. The media, provided they have access to information and are unhindered in their investigations, can detect embezzlement of humanitarian aid promptly, thus guaranteeing that those affected by the emergency may receive appropriate attention from public authorities.
PROBIDAD condemns Zamora’s detention and believes that it was the consequence of regressive legislation adopted by Chiapas in February 2004, penalizing defamation and libel. It joins the protests made by journalists as well as national and international organizations calling for stronger guarantees of the right to carry out journalism in the state, especially guarantees that journalists not be harassed by authorities.
