Guatemala

WHEREAS at the end of September a bill was introduced in Congress to increase the criminal sentences for defamation- related offenses WHEREAS Alvaro Arzú, mayor and former president, is conducting a public campaign to discredit the newspapers elPeriódico and Prensa Libre, lobbying ambassadors and officials to withdraw funding for programs sponsored by elPeriódico to promote ways for citizens to participate in journalism while city employees are distributing fliers with Prensa Libre’s logo that contain false information THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to urge the Congress to reject the bill that goes against the current trend to decriminalize defamation- related offenses to demand that the mayor of Guatemala City stop his attacks and campaign to discredit the media and respect freedom of press and information.