(IFJ/IFEX) – Felipe Cobián, correspondent for “Proceso” and the news agency Agencia Proceso de Informacion (APRO), was beaten and had his video camera taken away by officers of the Federal Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR). The officers were in charge of security at the XI National Conference on Justice (XI Conferencia […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – Felipe Cobián, correspondent for “Proceso” and the news agency Agencia Proceso de Informacion (APRO), was beaten and had his video camera taken away by officers of the Federal Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR). The officers were in charge of security at the XI National Conference on Justice (XI Conferencia Nacional de Procuracion de Justicia) held in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, on 7 December 2001. They attacked the journalist when they realised that he had managed to enter the auditorium on the last day of the conference without any difficulty.
The five officers, dressed in civilian clothing, did not identify themselves. They knocked down the journalist with a punch and took his video camera. The incident occurred near the press room, in the hotel where the conference was taking place.
According to the news agency APRO, the journalist had the proper accreditation and his press identification was clearly visible. He headed to the auditorium and went through the various security check points without difficulty. When he reached the metal detector, he placed his video camera and cellular phone in the special container provided and passed through without incident.
He then walked about fifty metres and went up the stairs, passing by military and police officers who were guarding the area. In the auditorium, there were at least four persons filming the meeting. He chose a spot and began to film, when a number of police officers “invited him to leave” the room.
“When they realised that their security system had failed, they tried to drag me out. I argued that this was not necessary, I would leave voluntarily. They accompanied me to the exit where the metal detector was. They asked me what media I worked for and told me to leave,” the journalist noted.
Cobián recalled that as he was heading to the press room, located in the same hotel, “a group of five plainsclothes officers approached me in a dark and deserted corridor. The individual who appeared to be in charge demanded that I hand over my video camera, or at least the tape. I refused to do so a number of times and tried to get by and continue heading towards the press room. They intercepted me each time, threatening that they would take me away and arrest me.”
“Angered, they yelled at me to identify myself. I explained that I had already identified myself to their colleagues, but they shouted that they wanted my credentials. I answered that I had left these in the press room. It seemed that they had given up, when suddenly while we were going up some steps and there was no one around, the apparent ringleader punched me in the mouth and I fell. They took advantage of the moment, grabbed my video camera and fled. The ringleader was a dark, well-built individual, with a moustache, dressed in blue jeans and a navy blue shirt,” the journalist stated.
Cobián explained that some minutes later an unknown individual returned his video camera, without explanation. He had recorded interviews with a number of the attorney generals on the topic of kidnappings.
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Vicente Fox Quesada
President of the United States of Mexico
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