IMPUNITY GUATEMALA, HAITÍ, REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA AND VENEZUELA

WHEREAS
the suspected mastermind of the murder of Jorge Mynor Alegría Armendáriz, a reporter for Radio Amatique, in Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala, on September 5, 2001, is awaiting trial and the death of Héctor Ramírez has not been solved

WHEREAS
the murder of Brignol Lindor, a reporter for Radio Echo 2000, in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, on November 3, 2001, has not been solved and there have been serious irregularities and obstacles in the judicial process

WHEREAS
in the Dominican Republic the case of columnist Narciso González, who disappeared on May 24, 1994, is still in limbo, and an appeals court is reviewing the conviction of those accused of killing Orlando Martínez of the magazine Ahora, on March 17, 1975

WHEREAS
the murder of photographer Jorge Tortoza of Diario 2001 on April 11, 2002 in Venezuela, has not been solved

WHEREAS
Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “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 recommend to the attorney general and judicial authorities in Guatemala that they comply with due process of law in order to unravel the difficulties and complexities of the case against the main suspect in the murder of Mynor Alegría and to find those responsible for the death of Héctor Ramírez

to demand an exhaustive investigation and punishment of those responsible so solving the crime against Lindor can be the beginning of the end of impunity in Haiti

to urge the government of the Dominican Republic to reactivate, follow up and bring to justice those responsible for the crime against González and to continue the trial of the murderer of Martínez until responsibility for the crime has been determined

to encourage the government of Venezuela to strengthen and guarantee a transparent investigation of the murder of Tortoza, with the goal of defining who is responsible for the crime.