(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 3 October 2003 IAPA press release: Ecuadorian President ratifies Declaration of Chapultepec 29 countries of the Western Hemisphere have endorsed this treaty Miami (October 3, 2003) – The President of Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez, yesterday ratified the Declaration of Chapultepec during the General Assembly of the International Broadcasting Association (IAB) […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 3 October 2003 IAPA press release:
Ecuadorian President ratifies Declaration of Chapultepec
29 countries of the Western Hemisphere have endorsed this treaty
Miami (October 3, 2003) – The President of Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez, yesterday ratified the Declaration of Chapultepec during the General Assembly of the International Broadcasting Association (IAB) held in that country. The President of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Andrés García, participated in the event.
On behalf of the IAPA, García, special guest at the 33rd IAB General Assembly, welcomed the signing of the Declaration of Chapultepec, which contains ten principles on free speech. “This decision shows that the Ecuadorian people are in agreement with and committed to its basic principles,” stated the director of the Mexican newspaper Novedades de Quintana Roo, following the signing ceremony.
The endorsement of the Declaration, which had already been signed in August 1999 by then President Jamil Mahuad, stirred controversy in the country since the Government disagreed with Principle 8 of the Declaration which states that membership in an association or trade organization for journalists must be strictly voluntary. In Ecuador, journalists are forced to obtain a degree in journalism in order to practice the profession.
IAPA’s president mentioned that violations to press freedom in Ecuador and the other countries of the Americas will be discussed at the organization’s upcoming meeting, scheduled to be held in Chicago on October 10-14.
