(IPYS/IFEX) – Segundo Jara Montejo, a correspondent for the National Radio Coordinating Committee (Coordinadora Nacional de Radio, CNR) and the Huánuco regional daily, suffered an injury to his right leg as a result of being hit by a tear-gas bomb thrown directly at him by a police officer. The incident occurred on 10 October 2000, […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – Segundo Jara Montejo, a correspondent for the National Radio Coordinating Committee (Coordinadora Nacional de Radio, CNR) and the Huánuco regional daily, suffered an injury to his right leg as a result of being hit by a tear-gas bomb thrown directly at him by a police officer. The incident occurred on 10 October 2000, while the journalist was covering a demonstration by coca farmers from the Aucayacu district, in the Huánuco department, and from other areas in the Alto Huallaga valley, protesting the eradication of their crops.
In a report sent to IPYS by CNR, Jara Montejo relates that while he was on San Martín Avenue in Aucayacu, (where the National Police station is located), reporting on events for radio and television, he heard a shot coming from the station’s vicinity and ran there to see what had happened. “Once there, I realised that officials of the National Anti-Drug Directorate (Direccion Nacional Antidrogas, DINANDRO) had began to shoot tear-gas bombs at the farmers. At that moment, I came running to film the incident and one of the police officers shot me at point-blank range, hitting me with the tear-gas bomb on my right thigh,” the journalist stated.
Despite having been injured by the bomb, the journalist continued filming while the police officers continued firing bombs. A number of individuals realised that Jara Montejo had been hurt. Noticing that he was having trouble breathing as a result of the tear-gas, they helped take him to a local hospital.
“Following the incident, we informed the Alto Huallaga Human Rights Commission (Comision de Derechos Humanos del Alto Huallaga) and Commander Augusto Cavero Asencio, a DINANDRO official who is in charge of security for the workers of the Aucayacu Cora project,” the journalist added.
Rosalía Storck Salazar, president of the Alto Huallaga Human Rights Commission, confirmed that the bomb had been intentionally fired against Jara Montejo while he was filming. Nevertheless, Commander Cavero pointed out that the attitude exhibited by the police officers who acted against the journalist and the protesters did not correspond to the orders issued by the police station.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
– calling for an investigation of the incident, so that those responsible for the attack on the journalist may be identified and punished
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Commander of the Peruvian National Police Augusto Cavero Asencio
Chief of the Huánuco Anti-Drug Tactical Operations Unit
Fax: +511 64 56 2609
Lieutenant General Fernando Dianderas Otonne
Director General of the Peruvian National Police
Fax: +51 1 225 1775
Dr. Jorge Santistevan de Noriega
Ombudsman
Fax: +51 1 426 6657
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.