Colombia

Resolution of the 62nd General Assembly Mexico City, Mexico September 29 – October 3, 2006 WHEREAS yet another tax reform bill would impose a 10 percent tax on newsprint, advertising in small newspapers, and circulars included with newspapers WHEREAS currently pending before Congress are proposed election laws that would place restrictions related to advertising, the publication of poll results, and balanced reporting WHEREAS the Senate addressed most of the requests from the Inter American Press Association and the Colombian Newspaper Association (Andiarios) in connection with the new Child Welfare Code, so that the media may be allowed to determine their content freely and independently WHEREAS Congress defeated a bill that would have made it a crime for an editor or journalist to publish an insulting or injurious statement (injuria), a false allegation of a crime (calumnia), or any unfounded statement or controversial piece of evidence WHEREAS Principle 5 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “Prior censorship, restrictions on the circulation of the media or dissemination of their reports, forced publication of information, the imposition of obstacles to the free flow of news, and restrictions on the activities and movements of journalists directly contradict freedom of the press” THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to invite Congress to refrain from imposing new taxes on the press, eliminate all restrictions on political and electoral advertising, and refuse in the future to consider any legislation that would go against Colombia’s tradition of upholding press freedom, constitutional rights, pluralism in the news, and the financial independence of the media to commend Congress for addressing the requests from the Inter American Press Association and the Colombian Newspaper Association that it uphold press freedom and the Constitution in considering the New Child Welfare Code, and for quashing the bill on calumnia and injuria.