BOLIVIA

BOLIVIA WHEREAS respect for freedom of expression is the foundation for the strengthening of any democracy WHEREAS the credibility of any media outlet is its most important asset and the foundation upon which it is built WHEREAS Bolivian Senator Walter Guiteras became involved in a family quarrel that turned into a public scandal because he lied about it and police records of the case inexplicably disappeared WHEREAS journalists and editors of some media companies were harassed and even attacked during the investigation of this case WHEREAS Senator Guiteras, in an obvious attempt to get revenge on one of the newspapers that published details of the scandal, hurled a series of questionable accusations against the owner of this publication WHEREAS in a democratic society every individual or legal entity has the right to defend itself under conditions of equality WHEREAS Bolivian senators have parliamentary immunity and therefore cannot be put on trial unless the Senate withdraws their immunity THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to express its strong concern about the harassment of journalists and editors of the media in Bolivia to ask the Bolivian Senate to withdraw the parliamentary immunity of the challenged senator so the validity of his accusations can be determined in court under conditions of equality.