Guatemala

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 28 April 2000 CPJ press release: GUATEMALA: ONE JOURNALIST KILLED, TWO WOUNDED COVERING PROTEST New York, April 28, 2000 — A photographer for the Guatemala City daily Prensa Libre was killed yesterday and two other journalists were injured when private security guards opened fire on rioters in Guatemala City. […]

(APG/IFEX) – From 11 to 14 April 2000, the Organization of American States’ (OAS) Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Santiago Canton, visited Guatemala to gather information and subsequently present a report on the state of press freedom in the country. President Alfonso Portillo had submitted a request to the OAS asking that Canton visit […]

In a letter to Guatemalan Minister of the Interior Rodolfo Mendoza, Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, “is expressing his strong concern over the assassination of Larry Lee, a Guatemala City correspondent for the business news agency Bridge News.” The organisation asks the minister to “take all necessary measures such that the circumstances and the motive behind […]

(APG/IFEX) – According to the CERIGUA news agency, on 11 August 1999, Marta Arrivillaga de Carpio, the president and general manager of “El Gráfico” newspaper, announced that she had received death threats. The threats appear to be motivated by “El Gráfico”‘s publication of certain information from the National Security Archive (Archivo Nacional de Seguridad, NSA). […]

(APG/IFEX) – Rubén Alfonso Ramírez, President of APG, has strongly condemned a 17 January 1999 attack against the daily “La Hora”. According to Luis Marroquín Godoy, manager of “La Hora”, “assailants” broke into the office of the late Oscar Marroquín Rojas, ex-editor of the evening newspaper, from which they removed “only personal documents, leaving behind […]

(APG/IFEX) – In three 19 November 1998 press releases, the APG expressed its solidarity with the dailies “Prensa Libre” and “Al Día”, and rejected continued limits on constitutional rights. Following are the three cases: 1. The APG is deeply concerned by the government’s systematic attacks on the daily “Prensa Libre”. Comments attacking the paper were […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – In a 23 September 1998 letter to Guatemalan President Álvaro Arzú, ARTICLE 19 expressed concern that the guarantee of freedom of expression in the Guatemalan Constitution may not be applicable to ordinary individuals. Article 35 of the Guatemalan Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but it restricts the guarantee to “medios de difusion,” […]

(APG/IFEX) – The following is the text of a report submitted by the Guatemalan Journalists Association (APG) to a mission of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights of the Organisation of American States (OAS), during its visit to the country from 6 to 11 August to assess the human rights situation there. 10 August […]

(APG/IFEX) – On 24 June 1998, unknown individuals killed Antonio Castillo Gálvez, an editor with the state-owned television news “Avances”, reported presidential spokesperson Ricardo de la Torre during a press conference. According to investigations made by authorities, the incident occurred at 10 am in Guatemala City. As Castillo was leaving his residence, his killers, without […]

(RSF/IFEX) – According to information released by RSF on 30 April 1998, journalist Amilcar Nuila was the victim of an attack in Coban (in the northern part of the country), in the district of Haut Verapaz. On 30 April 1998, two grenades exploded in front of Nuila’s home. Nobody was injured in the attack, although […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – According to a government document in CPJ’s possession, all state agencies have been barred from advertising in the weekly “Cronica” and the daily “elPeriodico”, both of which have criticized President Alvaro Arzu Irigoyen’s administration. The memorandum, sent to state agencies on 21 January 1998, notes, “One may not publish [government announcements] in “Cronica” […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – Luis Ronaldo De Leon Godoy, head of the weekend supplements section of the leading daily “Prensa Libre”, was stabbed on the morning of 14 November 1997 as he was leaving his house in central Guatemala City. Eyewitnesses report that De Leon’s assailants had been waiting in a car near his house for approximately […]

On 15 May 1996, Jose Ruben Zamora, the former editor of “Siglo Veintiuno”, was dining in a Guatemala City restaurant when a grenade exploded outside, damaging his car. Two grenades had been tossed from a passing vehicle, one of which failed to explode. Zamora told CPJ that he believed the attack was intended as a […]

On 11 April 1996, Juan Jose Yantuche, a reporter with the television program TV Noticias, died as a result of his injuries. Two weeks ago, the wounded body of Yantuche was found in his car at the end of a ravine in Zone 1 of the city of Mixco; he had been in a coma […]

In the early morning of 9 April 1996, several unidentified men broke into the house of Erwin San Juan, a journalist with the daily “Ultima Hora”. The men tied up San Juan and his wife, searched their house, and stole some camera equipment and money. They also tampered with San Juan’s press credentials. Upon seeing […]

**Further details on IFEX CH alerts dated 20 March 1995** CPC, the Guatemala-based office which coordinates FIP’s activities in Central America, has produced the following full report on the case of “La Republica” journalist Gerson Lopez Orantes, who “disappeared” on 28 March 1995 and emerged 27 hours later, with signs of having been torture, including […]