(WAN/IFEX) – The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has expressed concern over increasing press freedom abuses in Peru and has asked President Alberto Fujimori to investigate charges that reporters have been killed in recent days by “government people.” “We fear that a failure to treat these attacks with the utmost seriousness may exacerbate a situation […]
(WAN/IFEX) – The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has expressed
concern over increasing press freedom abuses in Peru and has asked
President Alberto Fujimori to investigate charges that reporters have
been killed in recent days by “government people.”
“We fear that a failure to treat these attacks with the utmost
seriousness may exacerbate a situation which is already giving serious
cause for concern”, WAN President Jayme Sirotsky said in a letter to
President Fujimori.
According to reports, a group of armed men stormed the home of radio
journalists Isabel and Walter Chumpitaz Panta, in Bajo Piura, on 6 April.
The assailants, who identified themselves as “government people” who were
looking for the journalists “because they defended peasants”, shot and
killed both reporters and wounded two of Mrs. Chumpitaz Panta’s brothers
(for more information on this case see IFEX alerts of 21, 15 and 8 April
1998).
Several other press freedom abuses have also been reported in recent
weeks, including death threats to journalists, an armed assault on Radio
San Martin station, and an attack on announcer Gladys de la Cruz Pariona
of Solidaridad.
“We are concerned that all might be related to the victims’ reporting
activities, and respectfully urge you to ensure that a thorough and
expeditious investigation into each incident is carried out”, Mr.
Sirotsky said in his letter to the President.
WAN, the global association of the newspaper industry, represents over
15,000 newspapers in more than 90 countries.
