El Salvador

No serious violations of press freedom have been reported during these last six months, with President Mauricio Funes respecting such freedom. The former journalist rose to power on the ticket of the leftist party FMLN, which has close relations with the governments of Venezuela and Cuba. There have been some disagreements between the press and current cabinet ministers, among them Manuel Melgar, head of Public Security, who is under most pressure from the public at this time due to an alarming lack of general safety, a situation in which an average of 14 murders a day are being reported. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Humberto Centeno is continually criticizing news media’s content, especially that of radio stations, frequently calling for the need to have strong regulations. On September 2 Franco-Spanish documentary maker, movie actor and news photographer Christian Poveda, 52, was shot to death on an unpaved road between the towns of Apopa and Tonacatepeque, some 10 miles northeast of the El Salvador capital, San Salvador. Currently five gang members and a police officer are under arrest accused of killing Poveda and are awaiting trial to begin next February. It is believed that Poveda was killed in connection with his work about gangs, particularly his documentary titled “La Vida Loca” (The Mad Life), which he made after spending a year and a half living with a gang. Another matter of concern in the country has to do with legislative action that would affect the press. One bill, sponsored by the self-styled Democratic Communication Movement which is made up of small media and those linked to the El Salvador left, concerns media ownership. The bill would seek to “democratize” radio and television frequencies, but with requirements similar to those under Argentina’s Law on Audiovisual Services. It is expected that the proposal will be submitted this month to the Electricity and Telecommunications Administration (SIGET), the agency responsible for administration of electronic media frequencies. A bill for the Law on Access to Public Information sent to Congress in October 2008 has yet to be passed.