(APG/IFEX) – The following is an APG Press Freedom Committee press release: The Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG) wishes to draw the attention of the national and international community to the following: 1. In the latest attack on journalists in Guatemala, Milton Oswaldo Martínez, a radio journalist and student at the […]
(APG/IFEX) – The following is an APG Press Freedom Committee press release:
The Press Freedom Committee of the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG) wishes to draw the attention of the national and international community to the following:
1. In the latest attack on journalists in Guatemala, Milton Oswaldo Martínez, a radio journalist and student at the Mariano Gálvez in the department of Huehuetenango, was killed.
Martínez, who worked for the Ke Buena radio station, went missing on 21 May 2003. The authorities were informed of his disappearance but did nothing to ascertain his whereabouts. According to his mother, on 25 May, his body was found in a ravine.
2. On 23 May, the evening newspaper “La Hora” reported that one of the paper’s journalists had been threatened with death and insulted by an individual who drove up to him in the street.
The incident was apparently related to the newspaper’s coverage of a complaint filed by the residents of the San Ángel district, in response to damages caused by the operations of the Constructora San Ángel, S.A. construction company.
The authorities are urged to promptly investigate these alarming incidents.
3. To date, there has been no response to journalists’ request for information from the Legislature. In a clear violation of the Constitution, the congress chair has arbitrarily denied parliamentary reporters access to government documents.
These abuses continue to go unpunished. The justice system is inefficient and shows no sign of fulfilling its primary role of protecting citizens’ constitutional rights.
The APG Press Freedom Committee condemns these incidents and calls on the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in particular Prosecutor for Crimes against Journalists and Trade-unionists Marco Antonio Cortéz, to launch an investigation into these attacks. The prosecutor was urged to publicise the results of his inquiries.
The APG Press Freedom Committee urges government officials to respect the Constitution and demands that the congress chair act in accordance with the law.
