(IPYS/IFEX) – On the morning of 8 July 2005, journalists Eduardo Liñán Castañeda of Channel 25 station, Álvaro Briones of Telenorte and camera operator Daniel Urday were physically and verbally assaulted by a group of angry citizens. The incident occurred while they were reporting on a meeting between local residents and the authorities at the […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On the morning of 8 July 2005, journalists Eduardo Liñán Castañeda of Channel 25 station, Álvaro Briones of Telenorte and camera operator Daniel Urday were physically and verbally assaulted by a group of angry citizens. The incident occurred while they were reporting on a meeting between local residents and the authorities at the offices of the Regional Agriculture Department (Dirección Regional de Agricultura) in Combayo, one hour from the city of Cajamarca, in northern Peru.
A number of local residents tried to force their way into the meeting about the construction of a dike by a local mine. According to a Combayo and Otuzco regional districts’ citizens group (Frente de Defensa de Combayo y Otuzco), whose members were participating in the meeting, the dike will negatively affect the region.
The journalists were outside covering the event when a number of the locals surrounded them and began insulting them, accusing them of being biased towards the mine and twisting the facts. The assailants damaged Urday’s video recorder and struck Briones. Liñán managed to escape unharmed.
