**Updates IFEX alerts of 21 and 18 August 2000** (SPP/IFEX) – New incidents of persecution against the press and journalists’ work are occurring in Paraguay, and now “Noticias de Asuncion” newspaper is being targetted. These ongoing events have taken place during Paraguay’s prolonged period of post-electoral uncertainty. The results of the 13 August 2000 vice-presidential […]
**Updates IFEX alerts of 21 and 18 August 2000**
(SPP/IFEX) – New incidents of persecution against the press and journalists’ work are occurring in Paraguay, and now “Noticias de Asuncion” newspaper is being targetted. These ongoing events have taken place during Paraguay’s prolonged period of post-electoral uncertainty. The results of the 13 August 2000 vice-presidential elections have still not been finalised by the Superior Tribunal of Electoral Justice (Tribunal Superior de Justicia Electoral), which is responsible for the final tally of votes, despite the fact that they announced the winner to be opposition candidate Julio César Franco.
On 18 and 20 August, the “Noticias” offices received several bomb threats via anonymous telephone calls, and on 19 August, journalist Marlene Franco’s home was shot at five time, after she had received threats at work which were of great concern.
Upon learning of the incidents affecting “Noticias”, SPP reiterated their request that the national authorities respond with strength, urgency and clarity to deactivate the tensions which have risen because of shifts in the political climate, and to guarantee the safety of communications workers and the press media. The situation that “Noticias” is now facing relates to other similar events that arose from the 13 August voting, and affect the media in the city of Asuncion. Those events were: threats to the local offices of radio station Radio Primero de Marzo; the hostile demonstration of Colorado Party militants in the government, which occurred in front of the Radio Ñandutí offices; and the verbal attack by Colorado Party Senator Juan Carlos Galaberna against accredited journalists working in front of the Superior Tribunal of Electoral Justice. The last of these incidents resulted in physical injuries to Canal 9 reporter Elizabeth Palma, who was hit by a vehicle driven by members of former Treasurer of the Republic Daniel Fretes Ventres’ security. Fretes Ventres was facing nineteen charges of corruption when the press attempted to interview the former treasurer after his successor was sworn into office.
