(SPP/IFEX) – The SPP has expressed its support for correspondents of the Ayolas-based radio station Radio San Roque González and journalists working for the newspapers “Ultima Hora”, “ABC”, “Noticias” and local television station Canal 13. Gabriel Alfonso, Williams Aquino, José del Puerto, Augusto Dos Santos, Andrés Arias, Edgar Vazquez and Cornelio Veron were subjected to […]
(SPP/IFEX) – The SPP has expressed its support for correspondents of the Ayolas-based radio station Radio San Roque González and journalists working for the newspapers “Ultima Hora”, “ABC”,
“Noticias” and local television station Canal 13. Gabriel Alfonso, Williams Aquino, José del Puerto, Augusto Dos Santos, Andrés Arias, Edgar Vazquez and Cornelio Veron were subjected to pressure from Brazilian businessmen who are owners of local hotels, and their employees, because of their reports on overfishing in the Yacyretá dam area.
In a press release, the SPP stated that “the communicators are also defending the interests of the local citizens, and even of the businessmen, and their employees’ positions. Fishing resources are not inexhaustible. Unchecked overfishing could deplete this rich fauna, resulting in loss of income for the community, the closure of hotel companies and loss of employment.”
The SPP lamented the fact that local authorities have not taken the necessary measures to curb the excessive overfishing that the Ayolas journalists have condemned. The organisation urged the authorities to provide protection for the journalists, who have received serious threats from hotel employees. It also called on the Ayolas community “to act in support of the communicators and defend the region’s natural resources, and to keep in mind Brazilian businessmen’s tendency to want to discredit the journalistic profession.”
“We remind those who do not wish to see public pronunciations of serious incidents that harm Paraguay’s natural environment, that our colleagues in the city of Ayolas are simply fulfilling their role to keep citizens informed and to educate them on matters of public interest,” concludes SPP’s press release, signed by Secretary General Alfredo Martínez.
