GUATEMALA

GUATEMALA WHEREAS the closure of the television program “Night Talk” as a result of political pressure against José Eduardo Zarco, a critic of the government WHEREAS the Prensa Libre newspaper is being subjected to a campaign waged by television and radio stations belonging to a business group aligned with the government to undermine its credibility WHEREAS President Alfonso Portillo pledged to an IAPA delegation to fully respect freedom of the press and expression, and Guatemala is a signatory of the Declaration of Chapultepec whose 10th principle establishes that no news medium nor journalist may be punished for criticizing or denouncing the government THE IAPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS RESOLVES to condemn the closure of “Night Talk” and express its deep concern to the government of Guatemala over its attacks on the independent press, especially Prensa Libre, unleashed in media aligned with the government to call on President Alfonso Portillo to fully comply with his pledge to respect and defend freedom of the press.