(IPYS/IFEX) – On 26 October 2005, journalist Róger Chávez Neyra, of Radio Solidaridad station, told IPYS that in recent days he has been followed by individuals both on foot and in cars. The journalist is based in the city of Uchiza, Tocache, in the San Martín region, northeastern Peru. Chávez said the stalking may be […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 26 October 2005, journalist Róger Chávez Neyra, of Radio Solidaridad station, told IPYS that in recent days he has been followed by individuals both on foot and in cars. The journalist is based in the city of Uchiza, Tocache, in the San Martín region, northeastern Peru.
Chávez said the stalking may be aimed at dissuading him from issuing a negative report on Uchiza Mayor Luis Escalante Mosquera, on his news programme “Línea de Impacto”. The journalist is preparing a report on a lawsuit against the mayor for illegal assumption of power.
According to the journalist, this is not the first time he has been harassed. On 14 September, Uchiza town councillor Domingo Gonzáles Fernal threatened Chávez after the journalist reported that some council members were not properly overseeing the management of the mayor’s office. Since the incident, the district government has provided the journalist with protection.
Uchiza is part of the Tocache municipality, which has been plagued by violence. For the last 20 years, it has been one of the main drug trafficking and coca cultivation areas in the country.
