(FLIP/IFEX) – FLIP is concerned about several acts of aggression against journalists in the Cauca and Huila departments during indigenous marches against the Free Trade Deal (FTA) and other public policies of concern to these communities in the country’s south. In Cauca department: At least four media personnel from Cauca have been illegally held since […]
(FLIP/IFEX) – FLIP is concerned about several acts of aggression against journalists in the Cauca and Huila departments during indigenous marches against the Free Trade Deal (FTA) and other public policies of concern to these communities in the country’s south.
In Cauca department:
At least four media personnel from Cauca have been illegally held since 17 May 2006 at the police station in Piendamó, a community 40 minutes from the Cauca capital, Popayán, after disturbances at the La María indigenous reserve.
Reporter Marcelo Forero, of the Internet publication “El Turbión”, and Jesús López and Carmen Eugenia León, who were covering the marches for La María’s communications office’s radio station, were all taken into custody by the members of the Mobile Anti-disturbances Squad (Escuadrón Móvil Antidisturbios, ESMAD) along with 24 demonstrators.
Richard Calpa, director of the radio station La Libertad, located in the town of Totoró, was also detained by the authorities while covering the disturbances on his “radiocycle” (“radiocicleta”), a mobile transmission unit, which was burned and destroyed by ESMAD members, according to several witnesses consulted by FLIP.
“El Turbión” director Omar Vera told FLIP that Forero’s digital camera and digital audio recorder were confiscated by the authorities, before the journalist himself was taken into custody. Vera added that a video camera and documents belonging to the La María indigenous community were also confiscated.
Cauca ombudsperson (Defensor del Pueblo) Victor Javier Meléndez, who was at the scene, said that disturbances broke out between the demonstrators and ESMAD officers when the authorities burst into the area. He said that the officers trashed La María’s communications office as well as the reserve’s warehouses.
Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca, CRIC) legal advisor Álvaro Mejia indicated that a computer, a video camera and two transmitters are among the radio station’s equipment apparently confiscated by the ESMAD. He added that the protests were against the FTA, recently passed legislation allowing consecutive re-election of a national president – previously prohibited under the Colombian constitution – as well as against the pesticide spraying of illicit drug crops in the department and the current national government’s failure to fulfil various agreements made with the indigenous communities regarding land tenure and land reform.
At 3:00 p.m. (local time) on 17 May, indigenous people had blocked the pan-American highway, awaiting the arrival of Interior and Justice Minister Sabas Pretelt de la Vega, who was apparently going to negotiate with the march’s leaders after restoration of traffic on one of the lanes of this major highway, which connects Colombia to Ecuador and the Valle department to the country’s south. However, the minister failed to appear and the ESMAD went into the reserve, burning several vehicles and homes, according to Mejia.
Cauca police commander Colonel José de Jesús Celí Rincón has confirmed that López and León were in custody. The La María reserve’s radio station directors had been broadcasting when they were detained. However, the commander said he knew nothing about the other two journalists being held. He also said that if police force members were involved in robbing journalists’ materials during the disturbances, he would ask the prosecutor general’s office (Fiscalía General de la Nación) to investigate the incident.
In Huila department:
Meanwhile, in the Huila department capital, Neiva, journalists from “TV novedades” television news programme, which is broadcast over several cable channels in the department, reported various acts of aggression against them on 15 May at the Surcolombiana University facilities.
According to “TV novedades” cameraman José Ignacio Valencia, at 5 p.m., after the programme team had finished covering a takeover of the university’s facilities by people from several indigenous communities, various masked individuals threatened the team with small daggers, demanding that they turn over the equipment and accusing them of recording the takeover for the police. Valencia told them he would not hand over the equipment, but invited them to look at the images, saying they did not implicate anyone. However, the assailants, who apparently were not among those taking part in the indigenous protests, forced Valencia to turn over the cassette.
Given the above, the indigenous leaders, who had originally resolved to stay at the university until their demands were met, decided to leave the city to avoid problems with the police.
According to information obtained by FLIP, university authorities contacted the journalists to inquire about the incident. FLIP has attempted to contact Surcolombiana University Rector Ricardo Mosquera Mesa for his comments on the acts of aggression against the journalists, without success.
FLIP condemns the continued illegal detention of the journalists and other media personnel in Cauca, and demands their prompt release. It also asks the authorities to investigate the ESMAD officers’ theft of the La María reserve’s communications office’s transmission equipment and to ensure that the ESMAD also provide compensation for damages caused to the media outlets they destroyed during the disturbances in the region.
As well, FLIP reminds the authorities that media outlets’ role during public disturbances is to report on the events. It calls upon the authorities to respect journalists’ and photographers’ right to carry out their work, and reminds the authorities that they have an obligation to ensure safe conditions that allow media personnel to work. Any acts of aggression or illegal detentions of journalists or other media personnel, or the impeding of media work, constitute serious violations of press freedom.
