Paraguay

PARAGUAY WHEREAS • President Juan Carlos Wasmosy has proposed the centralization of all state information in a Social Communication Secretariat, thereby limiting free access of the press to official information • the new constitution, approved on June 20, 1992, contains many ambiguities that could threaten freedom of expression • the Executive Branch has introduced a legislative reform bill containing various rules seeking to restrict the press, including the application of criminal penalties on tbe editors of the media for divulging confidential public documents at the time responsibility is fixed for disseminating punishable information • a committee of the Chamber of Deputies again is considering a press law that was rejected in October 1991, because it was considered to be in conflict with constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression • several journalists were subjected to death threats or physical attacks, and TV Channel 13 was attacked with hand grenades and machine guns and up to now none of tbese cases has been solved by authorities THE 49TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES • to declare its firm opposition to legislative actions that impede the free flow of information • to reiterate its opposition to press laws which restrict freedom of expression • to denounce harassment of journalists and to urge the government to take steps to identify the culprits, prevent attacks against the media and to assure the free practice of journalism.