Peru

WHEREAS the National Congress is considering a constitutional amendment that would be favorable for press freedom WHEREAS in recent days there have been physical attacks causing personal injury to some radio, television and print journalists who were covering public demonstrations WHEREAS the president promised the IAPA that he would conduct a “thorough investigation” of these attacks and reaffirmed his democratic conviction with respect to strengthening and respecting press freedom WHEREAS the Inter American Press Association has received reports from some journalists that they have been taken to court WHEREAS Principles 1 and 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec declare that “No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people” and that “Freedom of expression and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, 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 IAPA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLVES to recognize the importance and protection accorded press freedom in the debate of the constitutional amendment and to report that IAPA will be watching for the final results to ensure that these freedoms and guarantees are not violated to express to the government and President Toledo the IAPA’s satisfaction with their determination to investigate and punish those responsible for the attack on journalists to ask the judicial authorities to apply due process to ensure that the cases involving journalists are solved quickly, as should be the case with any citizen who is on trial.