Impunity - Peru

WHEREAS journalist Alberto Rivera Fernández of Radio Oriental in Pucallpa was murdered in April 2004 as a result of his critical reporting on the involvement of local officials in drug trafficking and acts of corruption WHEREAS the trial for the murder of Rivera Fernández has been progressing extremely slowly, and this could compromise the case WHEREAS journalist Paul Garay Ramírez, host of the radio program “La voz del pueblo” on the station Frecuencia Oriental in Pucallpa, has been the victim of two violent physical assaults perpetrated by armed men while his program was on the air WHEREAS Garay’s assailants have been identified and linked to a government official and union leader who had been criticized in Garay’s reporting WHEREAS Garay Ramírez was a close collaborator of journalist Alberto Rivera, who was murdered in April 2004 in retaliation for his reporting on acts of corruption by local authorities WHEREAS Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “Freedom 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. Such acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly” THE MIDYEAR MEETING OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to demand that the chief justice of the Peruvian Supreme Court, Dr. Walter Vásquez Bejarano, and Attorney General Dr. Nelly Calderón devote greater attention to the trial for the murder of journalist Alberto Rivera Fernández, and that the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police of Peru provide protection for the life of Paul Garay, as he has requested, and carry out an investigation in order to bring to justice the perpetrators of this assault.