GUATEMALA

WHEREAS Marco Antonio Baldizón Méndez, former Guatemalan presidential candidate and director of the political party known as Renewed Democratic Liberty (LIDER), and several legislators from his party filed six criminal complaints against 10 journalists from Grupo A, accusing them of hindering the work of journalists, discrimination, coercion and threats, abuse of authority, death threats, and bribery WHEREAS the sole purpose of these legal actions is to intimidate journalists who are seeking to conduct their work freely and keep the citizens informed WHEREAS Article 10 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “No news medium nor journalist may be punished for publishing the truth or criticizing or denouncing the government.” THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES To condemn the coercion and threats to which Grupo A and its editors and contributors have been subjected by the LIDER political party through the actions of its former presidential candidate, Manuel Antonio Baldizón Méndez, and its legislators in the Congress in the form of baseless criminal complaints filed with the courts in response to the appearance of verifiable news stories that have revealed acts of corruption and a violation of the Law on Elections and Political Parties in the most recent elections To urge the judicial authorities and prosecutors to resolve these complaints as quickly as possible and with complete objectivity on the basis of the presumption of innocence and due process, so as to ensure that freedom of expression is fully upheld.