(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 18 June 2004, Arnold Girón, host of “La voz del pueblo” programme, televised on Channel 45, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commissioner’s Office protesting the cancellation of his programme. According to Girón, on 9 June he received a letter from the station’s management advising him of the programme’s cancellation. […]
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 18 June 2004, Arnold Girón, host of “La voz del pueblo” programme, televised on Channel 45, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commissioner’s Office protesting the cancellation of his programme. According to Girón, on 9 June he received a letter from the station’s management advising him of the programme’s cancellation. The journalist had a contract specifying that any revenues gained from advertisements aired on the programme were to be divided equally between Girón and the station.
Girón told the Committee for Free Expression (Comité por la Libre Expresión, C-LIBRE) that his programme was cancelled after he broadcast information on a report by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The report pointed to alleged irregularities committed by a subdivision of the Public Works, Transportation and Housing Secretariat (Secretaría de Obras Públicas, Transporte y Vivienda, SOPTRAVI). According to the journalist, the head of SOPTRAVI, Jorge Carranza, and one of the station’s shareholders, Pablo Pérez, warned him not to report on the allegations.
In a letter to the national human rights commissioner, PROBIDAD said that if the programme was cancelled as a result of pressure, this would be a grave violation of freedom of expression.
For further information on the case, see:
http://www.portal-pfc.org/perseguidos/2004/038.html
For PROBIDAD’s letter to the national human rights commissioner, see:
http://www.portal-pfc.org/perseguidos/2004/038.pdf
This alert was prepared by PROBIDAD with information from C-LIBRE.
