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IMPUNITY-GUATEMALA I
WHEREAS
the Guatemalan government recognized in an official declaration on August 9,
2000, the institutional responsibility of the state for failure to comply with
the requirement in Article 1 of the American Convention on Human Rights to respect
and guarantee the rights established in the convention and in Articles 1, 2
and 3 of the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala with respect
to the case of journalist Irma Flaquer who disappeared
WHEREAS
on September 5, 2001, the first ceremonies were held to honor the journalist,
which recorded the designation of a street in her name, the placement of a bronze
plaque at the Freedom of Expression Monument and the celebration of a religious
ceremony
WHEREAS
the president of the Supreme Court, Hugo Leonel Maul Figueroa promised to see
that the Ombudsman's Office reopen the case of Irma Flaquer to find those responsible
for planning and carrying out her disappearance
WHEREAS
the Impetus Committee made up of the Presidential Coordinating Committee for
Executive Policy on Human Rights (COPREDEH) and the Inter American Press Association
(IAPA) met four times (October 15 in Washington; September 5 and July 5 in Guatemala
City and June 8 in Miami) to support efforts in the criminal investigation and
follow up the 12 points of the friendly agreement between the Guatemalan government
and the IAPA
WHEREAS
efforts were made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in supervising
the friendly agreement reached between the Inter American Press Association
and the Guatemalan government
WHEREAS
Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states that "freedom of expression
and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, pressure,
intimidation, the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities,
violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated
promptly and punished harshly"
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
to note that President Alfonso Portillo has recognized the institutional responsibility
of the state in the case of Irma Flaquer and committed himself to promote economic
reparations to her family, to encourage investigations and trials and to honor
her memory
to thank the Guatemalan government and the municipal
government of Guatemala City for holding ceremonies to honor Flaquer
to reiterate to the Supreme Court and the Ombudsman's
Office of Guatemala the importance of reopening the investigations to find the
murderers of Irma Flaquer
to support meetings of the Impetus Committee in
order to supervise the full compliance with the points in the friendly agreement
with the main goal the reopening of the investigations by the Ombudsman's Office
to thank the Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights for is continual vigilance to see that the friendly agreement is used
for the constant search for justice
to show its respect for the relatives and reiterate
that the Inter American Press Association will continue its efforts to see that
justice is done in this case.
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