(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) – On Friday 11 January 2002, journalist Martín Oeschger, of the FM Paraná Radio San Javier radio station in Capitán Bermúdez, was followed and shot at after leaving his workplace. Jesús Monzon, secretary general of the Capitán Bermúdez Municipal Employees’ Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores Municipales), was detained in connection with the attack. At approximately […]
(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) – On Friday 11 January 2002, journalist Martín Oeschger, of the FM Paraná Radio San Javier radio station in Capitán Bermúdez, was followed and shot at after leaving his workplace. Jesús Monzon, secretary general of the Capitán Bermúdez Municipal Employees’ Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores Municipales), was detained in connection with the attack.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. (local time), as Oeschger was walking home from the radio station, a vehicle in which Monzon and four other municipal employees were driving, intercepted his path. Oeschger was forced to go on the sidewalk to dodge the vehicle. The journalist continued walking but realised that he was still being followed. The assailants started firing as they caught up with him.
After turning the wrong way onto one way street Route 11, the journalist noticed that the municipal employees abandoned their pursuit. Monzon was later arrested at a police check point, but he was released on Monday 14 January as no witnesses came forward to testify. Oeschger filed a complaint and the Correctional Criminal Court in Rosario is now overseeing the case.
This is the fifth time that the journalist has been targeted. Monzon is currently facing charges for creating a disturbance at the radio station where Oeschger works on 5 October 2000. In January 2001, the municipal employee uttered death threats against the journalist in the presence of witnesses. On 26 June, the journalist received death threats over the telephone and his house was shot at. Finally, on 5 October he was attacked by six individuals who punched and kicked him and threatened that he would end up with “a bullet in the head.”
Another attack in Santa Fe province
Also on 11 January, as Claudio Andrés De Luca, journalist for community radio station FM Aire Libre, was reporting on a demonstration organised by the Municipal Employees’ Union, he was attacked by some of the demonstrators.
De Luca was in front of the Municipal Building when he was reprimanded by an individual who approached him from behind, shut off his recorder and asked, “who are you?” Five persons then started pushing him and told him to leave threatening that, “otherwise you are going to suffer serious harm.”
PERIODISTAS expressed its support for the targetted journalists and urged the authorities to do all they can to shed light on the attacks and ensure that journalists can freely carry out their profession.
Recommended Action
Send letters of support to:
Martín Oeschger
Radio FM Paraná
Tel: +341 491 2573
Claudio Andrés De Luca
FM Aire Libre
Tel.: +341 432 5261
Send appeals to the Fifth Rosario Correctional Criminal Court:
– asking that the necessary measures be taken so that light is shed on the incidents and Oeschger and his family are protected
Appeals To
Fifth Rosario Correctional Criminal Court,
presided by Judge Eduardo Enrique Costa
Balcarce 1651 1
(C. P. 2000) Rosario, Argentina
Tel.: +341 472 1685
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
