GUATEMALA

WHEREAS
the independent press and journalists in general have been subjected to harassment and persecution, which constitutes a limitation on the freedom of expression and freedom of the press

WHEREAS
journalist José Rubén Zamora and his family suffered a violent intimidation campaign for carrying out his reporting duties as the head of El Periódico, and so far the investigation has made no progress, leaving the case shrouded in impunity

WHEREAS
none of the complaints of threats or harassment against journalists have been effectively investigated by the Attorney General’s Office

WHEREAS
covering the election campaign has become dangerous for journalists due to the aggressive acts of supporters of the ruling party, the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG)

WHEREAS
at least ten presidential candidates have opposed the publication of surveys by newspapers and have attacked the credibility of reporters and the media, in an act of intolerance intended to curtail the right to information

WHEREAS
President Alfonso Portillo agreed two years ago, before a committee of the IAPA, to put an end the monopoly of broadcast television, a pledge that has not been kept and that directly affects the freedom of expression and the full exercise of democracy

WHEREAS
the Ministry of Foreign Relations has ignored requests from journalists and human rights organizations to invite the OAS Special Rapporteur for Freedom of the Press, Eduardo Bertoni

WHEREAS
Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec declares, “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 demand from the government of President Alfonso Portillo full and unlimited respect for the work of journalists and the media, and that the physical safety of journalists covering the election campaign be ensured; and in the particular case of journalist José Rubén Zamora, we demand that the government guarantee his physical safety and that of his family

to demand that Attorney General Carlos de León thoroughly investigate the actions and threats against journalists and that those responsible be handed over to the appropriate courts, so as to put an end to the current state of impunity

to remind President Alfonso Portillo of his commitment to put an end to the monopoly of broadcast television by privatizing channels 5 and 9

to ask the presidential candidates that they not only respect the freedom of the press and freedom of expression, but that they also publicly commit to respect these freedoms should they become president as a result of the elections to be held next November and December.