Camera operator Johnny Bazán had to be taken to the emergency ward of a medical center after being hit in the head.
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 9 July 2010, a mob that was being evicted by the police beat up a group of journalists who were covering the operation. The assailants also stole two cameras and assaulted a camera operator, who suffered a wound to the head. This took place in Tackoloma, a few kilometers outside Cochabamba, in central Bolivia.
Mythyl Antezana, a journalist for the newspaper “Opinión”, told IPYS and the National Press Association (ANP) that when the confrontation between the police and the mob began, the journalists were surrounded by the mob. At least five journalists were beaten.
The stolen cameras belonged to the TV stations ATB and Univalle. Executives of both stations filed formal complaints.
Univalle camera operator Johnny Bazán had to be taken to the emergency ward of a medical center after being hit in the head.
IPYS and ANP denounce this attack on the free exercise of journalism. They also demand that those responsible be sanctioned.
