MEXICO

57th General Assembly Washington, DC October 12 – 16, 2001 MEXICO WHEREAS Philip True, correspondent of the San Antonio Express-News, was killed in Mexico in 1998 and two of the alleged killers were detained and charged WHEREAS an autopsy performed on True’s body in Jalisco by a doctor of that state established that he was murdered WHEREAS studies by four American medical examiners had the same result as the autopsy in Mexico that True was murdered WHEREAS the prisoners said three times they were guilty of the crime WHEREAS recently a Jalisco judge freed the two men accused of killing True, saying that his death was accidental, according to a different evaluation of the autopsy reports WHEREAS True’s widow has appealed the ruling and a decision is expected within weeks WHEREAS Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec says, “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 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to denounce the irregular manner in which the case of the murdered journalist has been handled, commencing with the inadequate initial police investigation to encourage the judicial authorities of the State of Jalisco, Mexico, to make a close and rigorous review of the evidence in the case and to apply the appropriate punishment to those who are guilty of killing the Texan journalist.