(IPYS/IFEX) – On the afternoon of 15 October 2004, several journalists were attacked while reporting on a violent confrontation between police and fruit market vendors. The incident occurred in Lima’s La Victoria district. The reporters were assaulted by thugs, who were apparently hired to fight off the police and prevent them from evicting the vendors […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On the afternoon of 15 October 2004, several journalists were attacked while reporting on a violent confrontation between police and fruit market vendors. The incident occurred in Lima’s La Victoria district. The reporters were assaulted by thugs, who were apparently hired to fight off the police and prevent them from evicting the vendors from the market. When the thugs realised that they were being filmed, they assaulted the reporters and seized their cameras and video tapes.
The journalists and technicians who were assaulted include camera operator Roberto Villanueva and technical assistant Jorge de la Quintana, of Univisión television station, reporter Lizbeth Maceda and camera operator Armando Valla, of Frecuencia Latina station, and video reporters David Hurtado and Julio César Chávez, of Canal N station.
The reporters were filming the confrontation as the mob fired on the police and threw various objects at them. After forcing the officers to retreat, they went after the members of the press who were housed in a nearby building. They broke down the door, burst in and began insulting and hitting the journalists. They threatened them with knives, guns and other weapons and forced them to hand over their cameras and video tapes.
Fortunately, some of the journalists and technicians had managed to hide their tapes before they were attacked. They were, however, not able to prevent the thugs from taking some of their belongings and destroying their cameras and batteries.
The police subsequently stormed the market area. They broke down one of the gates with a tank and detained over 100 vendors and hired thugs. A recent court ruling had ordered the eviction of the vendors who were operating illegally.
