(IPYS/IFEX) – On 5 July 2004, journalist Henry Pinedo Rojas, director of the “La Verdad” radio programme, was physically and verbally assaulted by Juan Vásquez Laguna, a provincial court judge in the city of Nauta, Loreto region, northeastern Peru. The journalist was attacked for having broadcast on his programme an allegation that the judge had […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 5 July 2004, journalist Henry Pinedo Rojas, director of the “La Verdad” radio programme, was physically and verbally assaulted by Juan Vásquez Laguna, a provincial court judge in the city of Nauta, Loreto region, northeastern Peru. The journalist was attacked for having broadcast on his programme an allegation that the judge had offered to rule favourably on a case in exchange for money.
On the day of the incident, Pinedo was having lunch in one of the city’s restaurants when Vásquez entered and began to insult him, accusing him of broadcasting false information that affected his reputation. Pinedo told IPYS that Vásquez grabbed him by his shirt and forced him to his feet. “He asked me if I knew who he was and I responded that I did,” Pinedo said. Vásquez continued to reprimand Pinedo and warned him that if he continued to implicate him in the allegations, the journalist would have to “face the consequences.”
Pinedo said that the problems began when, on 4 July, an individual named Mariano Chávez publicly condemned Vásquez on Nauta FM radio station. Chávez said that members of the city’s judiciary, including Judge Vásquez, offered to rule in his favour in a legal case against one of his relatives if he paid them 3,000 sols (approx. US$875). Pinedo recorded Chávez’s comments and aired them on his programme.
Pinedo has filed a complaint about Vásquez’s behaviour with the city’s Peruvian National Police commissioner. Local residents, journalists and media workers have also voiced their concern about Vásquez’s actions. In communications with IPYS, Florentino Quispe Ramos, the owner of the media outlet where Pinedo works, corroborated the journalist’s story and asked for support from press organisations.
