On 26 August 2014, the TV program "Claridad", on Channel 55, was unexpectedly cancelled after the corporation that owns the station received death threats as a result of the program's editorial line.
On 26 August 2014, the program “Claridad”, presented by journalist Claudio Tapia Bustinza and broadcast by Channel 55, was unexpectedly cancelled. This occurred in Huamanga, Ayacucho region, in southeastern Peru.
The owner of the media outlet told the journalist that the decision to cancel the program (which had high ratings) was the responsibility of Corporación Daxi, a company that holds the license for Channel 55 from 2013 to 2018.
According to the journalist, Corporación Daxi received death threats because of “Claridad”‘s editorial line, which is critical of the administration of the regional president Wilfredo Oscorima, who is currently under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering. In his programs Tapia Bustinza also questioned the administration of the provincial mayor of Huamanga and the president of the Supreme Court of Ayacucho.
Tapia Bustinza also said that another reason for cancelling “Claridad” would be the pressure exerted on Corporación Daxi by Cablevisión, the company responsible for broadcasting Channel 55’s signal in Ayacucho and other regions. Cablevisión allegedly threatened not to renew the contract if the program was not cancelled.
Many of the accusations of corruption against Oscorima have emerged from journalists who refuse to be blackmailed by the regional president through contracts for official advertising. IPYS has also reported several cases that show how the regional authority uses the judiciary to attempt to silence the independent press.
