Uruguay II

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WHEREAS a radio journalist was sentenced to seven months in prison in a provincial city for criticizing the suspicious handling of public money accepted for a charity WHEREAS the prosecutor who sought the prison sentence for the journalist had decided not to pursue his assault and harassment complaint two months earlier against the person who is suing him WHEREAS this case is a flagrant example of impunity and lack of protection for the practice of journalism WHEREAS Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes 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” WHEREAS Principle 5 of the Declaration of Chapultepec establishes that “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 MIDYEAR MEETING OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to reiterate the public condemnation of a prosecutor’s decision to shelf a case involving attacks and threats against a journalist to ask legal authorities to observe due process and guarantees in investigating the charge of defamation against the journalist.

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