(IPYS/IFEX) – On 4 May 1998, Alejandro Miro Quesada Cisneros, assistant editor of “El Comercio”, confirmed in a radio interview that one of the journalists working for the paper’s Sunday supplement, “El Dominical”–which celebrated its 159th anniversary on 4 May –had received a death threat. Miro Quesada Cisneros stated in the Radio Programas del Peru […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 4 May 1998, Alejandro Miro Quesada Cisneros, assistant
editor of “El Comercio”, confirmed in a radio interview that one of the
journalists working for the paper’s Sunday supplement, “El Dominical”–which
celebrated its 159th anniversary on 4 May –had received a death threat.
Miro Quesada Cisneros stated in the Radio Programas del Peru interview (at
9:00 local time), that the journalist (whose name has not yet been made
public) had received the threat before the 3 May edition of “El Dominical”
was in circulation. That issue contained an interview done by the journalist
with former police Captain Julio Salas in Miami, U.S.A. The Salas interview
became public before it was published in the 3 May issue, when Juna Velit,
head of writing at “El Dominical,” discussed it during a round-table
discussion which took place on 2 May 1998. According to IPYS, the threats
were also extended to other staff working on the Sunday supplement.
According to Velit, Salas is living in Miami and seeking political asylum.
In his interview with “El Dominical,” Salas, who was relieved of his
command, noted that there is an “interest in having me retract everything
which I have always maintained, but that will never happen.” Prior to
leaving for Miami, Salas had denounced his superiors to the Pubic Notary’s
office for having urged him to change his version of events in connection
with some of the investigations he was pursuing. He also accused
presidential advisor Vladimiro Montesinos of having congratulated the police
officers who were pursuing an investigation against Baruch Ivcher, head of
the private television channel, Frecuencia Latina Canal 2. Ivcher, whose
station was outspoken in its investigations into government corruption, was
stripped of his Peruvian citizenship last year (for more information on the
Ivcher case see IFEX alerts).
Also, on 3 May 1998, Miro Quesada Cantuarias, editor of “El Dominical”
(related to Miro Quesada Cisernos) denounced illegal telephone tampering by
governmental organisations. According to him, the tampering was intended to
further intimidate the press following those threats received by the “El
Dominical” journalist. Miro Quesada Cantuarias appears to be alluding to an
incident in which someone tampered with Salas’s wife’s (Maria Jesus Garcia)
telephone line, by means of which details of the interview in Miami were
obtained.
In a piece published in the daily “La Republica”, Miro Quesada Cantuarias
lamented that the celebration of World Press Freedom Day (3 May) found
Peruvian journalists in a country of more darkness than light.
Background Information
It has been more than a year since Salas claimed that the National
Intelligence Service (SIN) ordered the Customs Fraud Division of the
National Police to initiate an investigation against Frecuencia Latina for
an alleged scheme involving vehicles illegally exempted from taxation. The
object of that investigation, which was directed by Salas, as stated by “El
Dominical” in an inset accompanying the interview with the ex-Captain,
was Baruch Ivcher. From the moment Salas made this claim he became the
object of threats intended to intimidate him into recanting his denunciation
of the Ivcher investigation. Then, on 15 April 1997, Salas was forced to go
down to the police station (crime division) in the middle of the night,
where he was tortured, electrocuted, had his face beaten, and released with
blood stains on his clothes. His wife is now the object of daily threats and
persecution.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
threats against the journalists from “El Comercio” and “El Dominical”
end violence against journalists in Peru, including those from “El Comercio”
as well as from other newspapers
Appeals To
Ing. Alberto Fujimori Fujimori
President of the Republic
Palacio de Gobierno
Plaza de Armas
Lima 1, Peru
Fax: +511 4266770 (o Secretaria de Prensa +511 4266535)
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
