Paraguay

WHEREAS the courts have convicted media executives for publishing stories on the public conduct of government officials and politicians WHEREAS government corruption is a cancer which undermines democracies, and the free press is an essential weapon in the fight against it WHEREAS judicial decisions go against journalists and media outlets when the interests of influential politicians and officials are at stake WHEREAS Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes that "[f]reedom 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; [s]uch acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly" THE MIDYEAR MEETING OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to condemn judicial harassment of the free press in Paraguay for its efforts to investigate the conduct and assets acquired by government officials in the performance of their duties to call upon Paraguay's Supreme Court to guarantee the exercise of press freedom as the most effective means to ensure transparency in government and thus fight the prevailing corruption and impunity in the country.