IMPUNITY
- NICARAGUA
WHEREAS
Nicaraguan journalist Carlos José Guadamuz Portillo was shot to death
on February 10, 2004 at the entrance of the television station where he hosted
a talk show and political opinion program; and, even though the killer was
caught at the scene of the crime immediately after it occurred and he confessed
to the crime and accepted full responsibility for it, is was subsequently
revealed that the political backgrounds of the victim and killer, as well
as information gathered by the independent press, suggest that someone else
might have ordered the crime
WHEREAS
several journalists have received anonymous threats for investigating and
reporting on this murder, and threatening comments about the newspaper La
Prensa, in particular, have been made in speeches and public statements by
leaders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in an attempt to
get them to stop investigating and reporting on the murder
WHEREAS
the National Police of Nicaragua appear to have only followed the leads provided
in investigative reports in the media and, in practical terms, have thus far
proven incapable of solving the murder and discovering who ordered it
WHEREAS
Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states, “Every person
has the right to seek and receive information, express opinions and disseminate
them freely. No one may restrict or deny these rights”
THE MIDYEAR MEETING OF
THE IAPA RESOLVES
to urge the Government
of Nicaragua to take the necessary steps to conduct a thorough investigation
into the murder of journalist Carlos José Guadamuz Portillo until those
responsible for his murder have been identified and brought to trial, and
to guarantee the security of the media and the physical safety and life of
journalists who exercise their right to investigate any matter of public interest
and report on it without restrictions or threats of any kind.
questions
or comments?