Chile

During this period the main threats to freedom of expression have derived from direct assaults on news media and entities linked to the press. The most serious development has been a bomb attack on the Copesa Group and an incendiary assault on the main distributor of national media in the city of Coyhaique. Reporters and news photographers have been attacked and have faced undue restrictions of coverage of public demonstrations occurring during this period. These developments have been rejected by the association that is made up of news media and their inadmissibility was stated to senior officials of the government and the police force. A special committee was set up to prevent such actions from being repeated. Police have also been asked for protection to prevent threats and further attacks in addition to those suffered by the press on a number of occasions from violent demonstrators and groups. Under debate in Congress are bills that contain proposed regulations that would threaten and restrict freedom of expression. One of them characterizes the offense of incitement to racial and religious hatred and another regulates the advertising of foodstuffs. Main developments: In two unprecedented developments in the recent past two entities were the object of assaults. One explosive attack in the early hours of November 1 was against the building of Copesa Group, the company that publishes newspapers and magazines, causing significant material damage and putting at risk the staff there at the time. The anarchist group “Comando Autónomo Voltaire Argandoña / F.A.I.-F.R.I” (Voltaire Argandoña Autonomous Command / F.A.I.-F.R.I) claimed responsibility in a press release, which contained threats to a number of journalists and expressed the aim of generating a “sensation of lack of safety” among the press. To date there have been no results in the investigation by the police and the District Attorney’s Office, nor has anyone been held responsible for these terrorist acts. On March 22 the main national newspaper distribution agency in the city of Coyhaique was the object of an attack with two Molotov cocktails that were hurled into the building but failed to blow up because of the way they were handled. Currently under debate in the National Congress is a bill that characterizes the offense of incitement to racial and religious hatred which could restrict freedom of expression. The objective of the bill is to punish with imprisonment those who incite to hatred for reasons of “the victim’s ideology, religion or beliefs, ethnic group, race or nation to which he or she belongs, gender or sexual orientation, or sickness or handicap from which he or she is suffering.” Despite having a plausible intent, among other amendments, the bill seeks to replace Article 31 of Law 19,733 on Freedom of Opinion and Information and the Practice of Journalism, with the following: “He or she who through any medium of public dissemination of the word or any action that displays a discriminatory opinion in order to incite to hatred expressed in violence against vulnerable groups, makes reports or broadcasts intended to promote hatred or hostility regarding persons or groups by reason of their race, sex, religion or nationality, shall be punished with the penalty of short-term imprisonment. Vulnerable groups shall be understood to be the members of a determined group identifiable by characteristics such as race, religion, beliefs, and others of a similar nature.” This bill in addition seeks to establish a system of privation of liberty, unlike the current Article 31, which established a monetary fine as punishment. In this way the criminal characterization would be applicable to both news media and any person who publicly issues an opinion that could come to be interpreted as incitement to hatred. Continuing under debate in the Congress are two bills seeking to amend regulations governing advertising. One proposes very extensive restrictions of the advertising and promotion of products labeled as “high in fats, salt, etc.” to people under the age of 18, in kindergarten, primary or secondary education. The second seeks to include in environmental legislation a ban on proponents of a bill that could have an impact on the environment, making advertising with the objective of promoting their initiative. This proposal has so far not found support in Congress.