(APG/IFEX) – The following is a 14 July 2003 APG Press Freedom Committee press release: The Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG) expresses concern for the safety of 17 journalists and correspondents from a number of media outlets who in recent weeks have been attacked, suffered intimidation or received death threats from […]
(APG/IFEX) – The following is a 14 July 2003 APG Press Freedom Committee press release:
The Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG) expresses concern for the safety of 17 journalists and correspondents from a number of media outlets who in recent weeks have been attacked, suffered intimidation or received death threats from unidentified groups.
The committee is alarmed over the increase in attacks against the Guatemalan press. This is a reflection of the violent context Guatemalans live in as a result of organised crime and clandestine groups, which have been allowed to operate freely and with impunity in the country.
According to information received by the Press Freedom Committee, on Friday 11 July, unknown individuals warned Juan Luis Font, director of elPeriódico newspaper, that he was being watched and should “be careful.” In recent days, Font has been followed and has received a number of threatening calls.
In a separate case, on 8 July, Ángel Martín Tax, Prensa Libre newspaper correspondent in the department of Alta Verapaz, found a glass vase with flowers in the doorway of his house. The flowers symbolise a funeral.
According to the Press Freedom Committee, these attacks against the press are aimed at silencing criticism and the voices of those journalists who are committed to informing Guatemalans.
The committee once again calls on the government and corresponding authorities to ensure that an investigation is launched into these incidents so that those responsible for these cowardly acts are identified.
The Press Freedom Committee expresses its support for the media outlets and journalists who have been the victims of violence. Furthermore, it calls on national and international human rights and freedom of expression organisations to denounce these attacks and demand that they are duly investigated.
Guatemala, 14 July 2003
