(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is an abridged translation of a 22 February 2007 IAPA press release: President Duarte affirms commitment to press freedom, signs Declaration of Chapultepec Asunción (22 de febrero de 2007) – Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte Frutos signed the Declaration of Chapultepec in a ceremony held 22 February at the governmental palace, saying […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is an abridged translation of a 22 February 2007 IAPA press release:
President Duarte affirms commitment to press freedom, signs Declaration of Chapultepec
Asunción (22 de febrero de 2007) – Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte Frutos signed the Declaration of Chapultepec in a ceremony held 22 February at the governmental palace, saying “the ratification by our government of the Declaration . . . is not simply a formal act, but rather one of conviction and hope for press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as freedom of investigation and publication.”
IAPA president Rafael Molina, as he initiated the ceremony, said that the Declaration serves as a constant reminder of the inalienable right of people to seek and receive information, to freely express and disseminate opinions, and of the authorities’ obligation to guarantee and promote these freedoms.”
President Duarte is the second Paraguayan president to sign the Declaration; in 1994 President Juan Carlos Wasmosy also signed it.
The signing of the Declaration took place parallel to a seminar on journalism under risk, organized by IAPA in Paraguay due to the increase in violence against journalists and the concern among the press about the lack of clarity regarding the disappearance of journalist Enrique Galeano and other crimes, such as the murder of Santiago Leguizamón.
President Duarte said that although press freedom “allows us to prevent evils and combat vices,” it also creates the need to practice journalism responsibly. In his continued allusion to the duty of media outlets and journalists, he added that “press freedom must stimulate dialogue and debate, although it must also generate space in an equitable fashion for all (citizens).”
Duarte also said the “press freedom has now been consolidated,” and condemned all censorship of the media, although he also added, “journalists must have their own censorship,” referring to self-regulation and responsibility, indicating that his country’s journalists need a code of ethics.
The regional vice-president of IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information in Paraguay, Alejandro Domínguez, from the newspaper “La Nación”, emphasized “the importance of respect for press freedom by the authorities” in his country. Supreme Court Magistrate Alicia Pucheta, cabinet ministers and officials from the president’s office, as well as journalists and editors from various media outlets, and IAPA press freedom director Ricardo Trotti, also participated in the ceremony.
