(IPYS/IFEX) – On 8 January 2007, journalists and photographers of various media outlets were assaulted while they covered a confrontation between government supporters and the police. The police were attempting to stop the demonstrators from storming the offices of the prefecture in Cochabamba, a city in central Bolivia. The protestors were demanding the retirement of […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 8 January 2007, journalists and photographers of various media outlets were assaulted while they covered a confrontation between government supporters and the police. The police were attempting to stop the demonstrators from storming the offices of the prefecture in Cochabamba, a city in central Bolivia. The protestors were demanding the retirement of the director of the prefecture, Manfred Reyes Villa.
The journalists were assaulted by demonstrators who hit them, tore up their credentials and accused them of having “sold out” to the government. A reporter for the television network Red Bolivisión who attempted to interview the chief of police, Miguel Vásquez, was forced to turn off his camera.
The journalists who were assaulted are: Alfredo Orellana, María Elena Soria, Limber Sánchez and Víctor Cabezas of Univalle Televisión; Lizet Zambrana and Jorge Escobar of Red Unitel; Cristian Rivero of Red Bolivisión; Cinthia Zambrana and Gustavo Canedo of ATB; Efraín Muñoz, of the agency ABI; Jorge Ábrego, of the agency ANF; Elizabeth Paravicini, Dico Soliz, Daniel James and Noé Portugal of “Los Tiempos USA”; Silvia Loza of Radio San Rafael; and Efraín Gutiérrez of the radio station La Chiwana.
