(IPYS/IFEX) – On 15 September 2003, at approximately 2:30 p.m. (local time) in the Villa Huayna Potosí area of the city of El Alto, La Paz department, a journalist, two photographers and a driver for “La Razón” newspaper were attacked by a mob of local residents. An article published in “La Razón” on 16 September […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 15 September 2003, at approximately 2:30 p.m. (local time) in the Villa Huayna Potosí area of the city of El Alto, La Paz department, a journalist, two photographers and a driver for “La Razón” newspaper were attacked by a mob of local residents. An article published in “La Razón” on 16 September said, “many of the people in the crowd had consumed alcohol.”
When they realised that they would not be able to continue on to the highlands, the crew decided to return to the city of La Paz. They had planned to travel to the highlands to ascertain whether the highway to Copacabana and Achacachi was free of obstructions.
According to “La Razón”, the crew’s vehicle was stopped by the mob and a drunk person in the crowd shouted, “Who are you? We are on a civic strike.”
When the media workers got out of their vehicle, they were immediately attacked by the crowd, which was yelling, “We should set their vehicle on fire and break the windows.” Reynaldo Saconeta, an “El Diario” newspaper journalist who was with the group, was also attacked.
Photographer Nicolás Quinteros managed to escape from the crowd and asked the No. 5 Regiment Police, which is stationed in Villa Huayna Potosí, for help. Meanwhile, journalist Johnny Salazar Socpaza and driver Edmundo Pardo endured the mob’s physical and verbal attacks.
The police, under the command of Chief Gonzalo Portugal, responded immediately to Quinteros’ request for help. They did not, however, intervene as they observed that the crew was apparently unharmed.
In a separate incident, on 11 September, journalist Hernando Flores was physically attacked in Radio San Gabriel de El Alto radio station’s building. Political leader Rufo Calle struck the journalist, along with other individuals who surrounded him. These attacks are in addition to others that were instigated by El Alto city leaders on 22 September.
Confronted with the attack against four of its workers, and the lack of security guarantees, “La Razón” decided not to cover “mobilisations in the highlands.”
