(IPYS/IFEX) – Members of Congress from various political parties rejected and denounced the explicit threats made publicly by the Minister of Labour, Jorge Mufarech, against the “Expreso” newspaper, the cable channel Cable Canal de Noticias (CCN) and their owners. **Updates IFEX alert of 9 April 1999** On the night of Wednesday, 7 April 1999, during […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – Members of Congress from various political parties rejected
and denounced the explicit threats made publicly by the Minister of Labour,
Jorge Mufarech, against the “Expreso” newspaper, the cable channel Cable
Canal de Noticias (CCN) and their owners.
**Updates IFEX alert of 9 April 1999**
On the night of Wednesday, 7 April 1999, during a telephone conversation
with Jaime de Althaus (who hosts an interview programme on CCN), the
Minister launched an explicit threat against “Expreso” and CCN because he
disagreed with the content of some of their editorials and articles. “Be
very careful with your expressions, with your commentaries, with what you
say and write in your editorials, and on CCN. The fact that journalists have
the freedom to be able to say whatever they feel like puts the owner of the
media outlet, by which you are employed, at risk,” he said.
Becoming upset and losing his composure, the Minister even accused de
Althaus of confusing the public, and “recommended” that the editor of the
newspaper’s finance section, Juan Carlos Tafur, “should not ever again
mention anything against the armed forces or any supposed business links I
have with them.”
Member of Congress Anel Townsend stated that the Minister’s attitude is
“unacceptable” and that “nobody, especially not a minister, should be making
threats against a journalist who is simply exercising his/her right to
freely express his opinion⦒Expreso’ and any other media should be able to
write editorials or investigative articles,” she pinpointed.
MarÃa del Carmen Lozada of the Change 90-New Majority political party
(Cambio 90-Nueva MayorÃa, C90-NM) urged the Minister to calm down and
reminded him that President Fujimori’s government respects freedom of the
press. “The Minister has acted inadequately and I would ask him to calm down
a bit, this government respects freedom of the press for all media, even
those that are more radical,” she pointed out
Member of Congress Dennis Vargas (C90-NM), called on the Minister to
maintain “serenity.” “I believe that we all need some more reflection before
saying things, we should recover some prudence, and think before speaking;
in that sense I think that ‘Expreso’ fulfills its mission,” he noted.
Alfonso Grados Bertorini (Union for Peru РUnion Por el Per̼, UPP) stated:
“I would prefer it if the ‘minister of contraband,’ because I cannot call
him Minister of Labour, were a bit more precise and a bit less insulting.
Journalism fulfills a responsibility, and I wish the Minister could prove
his accusations. It is commendable to wish to investigate and clarify, and
it is unfortunate to blame journalists when one does not know how to explain
the situation well,” he noted.
Javier Alva Orlandini (Popular Action – Accion Popular, AP) suggested that
journalism and freedom of the press “cannot be subject to any threats,” and
added that “Mufarech’s opinion has no legal standing.” Similarly, Roger
Guerra GarcÃa (UPP) thought that Mufarech’s threat had “no weight”, while
Jorge del Castillo (Peruvian Aprista Party -Partido Aprista Peruano, PAP)
called it “unfortunate.” “A Minister cannot make public or private threats
against any media,” he stated.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
against
the journalists, and that the responsible party be punished
Appeals To
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori
President of the Republic
Lima, Peru
Fax: +51 1 426 6535Jorge Santistevan de Noriega
Ombudsman
Lima, Peru
Fax: +51 1 426 6657VÃctor Joy Way Rojas
President of the Council of Ministers
Fax: +51 1 447 1628
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
