Journalists attacked while covering demonstrations

(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) -Between 27 and 30 April 2002, about 10 journalists were threatened or attacked while covering demonstrations taking place in the country’s interior. In San Juan province, radio journalists and photojournalists were caught in the middle of police repression against demonstrating government employees. In some cases, the police directly targeted the press. The two most […]

(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) -Between 27 and 30 April 2002, about 10 journalists were threatened or attacked while covering demonstrations taking place in the country’s interior.

In San Juan province, radio journalists and photojournalists were caught in the middle of police repression against demonstrating government employees. In some cases, the police directly targeted the press.

The two most serious incidents involved cameraman Carlos Chirino and the FM Radio La Voz radio station mobile unit, which was set up close to the Provincial Legislature building. Chirino, a cameraman for Canal 8 TV, was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet and trampled by police officers. Jorge Olivero, a radio producer for FM Radio La Voz, told PERIODISTAS that a tear gas canister exploded near the station’s mobile unit, which was clearly marked with the station’s name and logo. Shortly afterwards, as Olivero recounted, another tear gas canister was fired by a police officer at the vehicle and came flying through one of the windows, passing just centimetres from driver Juan Martín’s face. One of the seats caught on fire from the sparks and the flames were put out with the assistance of a neighbour who lent the news crew a fire extinguisher.

In a separate incident, Atahualpa Acosta of the daily “Diario de Cuyo” stated that while he was walking with photojournalist for the daily Marcos Urisa, police officers going by in a van fired rubber bullets at them. “The demonstrators had dispersed from in front of the legislature and we were alone on one of the nearby streets. I had my reporter’s notebook and Marcos was carrying his camera and a large zoom lens, so it was clear that we were journalists,” Acosta explained.

The list of other journalists who were injured by rubber bullets include Alejandra Ruiz of the TV 2 Canal Proimagen station, Doly García of FM Santa Lucía and Juan Pereyra of LV5 Radio Sarmiento, who was injured during an incident in front of the Provincial Legislature building.

San Juan Government Minister Ricardo Aracena resigned following a public outcry and strong condemnations of the police repression. Nevertheless, Governor Alfredo Avelín replaced him with Eduardo Posleman, the chief of police who was in charge of the police operation. A number of media outlets expressed anger over the police’s treatment of the journalists, but Posleman played down the criticisms and suggested that the journalists had been caught accidentally in the middle of the police action.

Meanwhile in Santa Cruz province, on 29 April journalist Roberto Mario Petroff of the daily “Tiempo Sur” was intercepted on the street in the city of Río Gallegos by two individuals who beat him and warned “We are going to kill you.” Petroff had reported on attacks carried out by Governor Néstor Kirchner’s supporters on members of neighbourhood assemblies who have condemned the provincial government’s taxation policy. On 30 April, Petroff’s colleague Lorena Nahuelcurá was threatened in an anonymous telephone call. Because of lack of faith in the provincial justice system, the journalist reported the incident to the Federal Police instead, which provided a bodyguard for her and her family. Weeks before the incident, Governor Kirchner had called on his supporters to prevent the popular movement organised in neighbourhood associations from garnering popular support.

Recommended Action

Carlos Chirino
Canal 8 TV
Tel: +54 264 421 3040 / 1940 / 4288

FM Radio La Voz
Tel: +54 264 420 4000 / 4100

Atahualpa Acosta and Marcos Urisa
Diario de Cuyo
Tel: +54 264 429 0000

Alejandra Ruiz
TV 2 Canal Proimagen
Tel: +54 264 427 2180

Doly García
FM Santa Lucía

San Juan Press Workers Union
Tel: +54 264 422 4816

Juan Pereyra
LV5 Radio Sarmiento
Tel: +54 264 420 4024

Roberto Petroff and Lorena Nahuelcurá
Diario Tiempo Sur
Tel: +54 2966 423 078

Secretary General Gustavo Granero
Press Union
E-mail: sipren@hotmail.com

Send appeals to Santa Cruz Governor Kirchner:
– calling on him to ensure that journalists in Santa Cruz province can safely carry out their profession

Send appeals to San Juan Governor Avelín:
– condemning the provincial police’s attacks on press workers and calling on him to ensure that they can carry out their profession

Appeals To

Alfredo Avelín
Office of the Governor of San Juan Province
Secretaría General de la Gobernacion
Tel: +54 264 423 3236 / 423 1900 int. 1420/24

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.