13 May 2014

IAPA voices concern at anti-terrorist law in Argentina

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Miami (May 13, 2014)—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today expressed concern at the possible prosecution of a journalist in Argentina that could lead to his imprisonment under the country’s anti-terrorism law if applied. It also protested the unlawful detention of a news photographer in Uruguay.
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It protests detention of photographer in Uruguay

Miami (May 13, 2014)—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today expressed concern at the possible prosecution of a journalist in Argentina that could lead to his imprisonment under the country’s anti-terrorism law if applied. It also protested the unlawful detention of a news photographer in Uruguay.

The IAPA regarded as “totally disproportionate” the possible application of the anti-terrorism law called for by a federal prosecutor in Santiago del Estero province against Juan Pablo Suárez, director of the Web site Ultima Hora, which could lead to his imprisonment.

The IAPA had already said last December on the Suarez case, who was arrested following a raid in his newsroom, where pamphlets for the alleged purpose of instigating policemen to quarter and protest for better wages were seized. The raid came after Suarez uploaded to their web site a video containing a violent arrest of a police protesting for better wages. At that time, police also seized mobile phones, USB and video memories, among other items.

Claudio Paolillo, chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, declared, “It is surprising that such a drastic law reserved for concrete cases of sedition, terrorism and offenses against national security could be applied to a journalist taking photos of an attack on public grounds.”

Paolillo added that the anti-terrorism law in effect in Argentina since 2011 is “totally disproportionate” for this case. In addition, he said, this kind of criminal regulation flagrantly violates constitutional precepts and international principles concerning the public’s right to information.

In another development the IAPA condemned the arrest of a journalist in Uruguay. El País photographer Gerardo Pérez was detained and held in solitary confinement over the weekend. After he took photos of a traffic accident and presented his identification as a journalist police ordered him to stop. He was handcuffed and taken to a police station, where he was held for four hours without being given reason for his arrest nor allowed to make a telephone call.

Paolillo protested the incident, declaring “the attitude of the police should be investigated promptly.” He added that the limitations to the unfettered practice and mobilization of journalists “are directly opposed to freedom of the press.”

The IAPA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1,300 print publications from throughout the Western Hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida. For more information please go to http://www.sipiapa.org.

       

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