WHEREAS, on March 26, journalists Paúl Rivas, Javier Ortega and Efraín Segarra were kidnapped during a press coverage in the Mataje area of Esmeraldas province – and subsequently murdered, by a group of drug traffickers operating along the Colombian-Ecuadorian border
WHEREAS, after learning of the news, the Inter-American Press Association proclaimed that this criminal act affects not only the peoples of Ecuador and Colombia, but also journalism throughout Latin America, which is outraged by this kind of inhuman and atrocious crime
WHEREAS, during the Mid-Year Meeting of the IAPA in Medellin, a work group was formed between the media of Ecuador and Colombia with the objective of joining forces to share information and security protocols, as well as to demand transparency from the governments and authorities of both countries.
WHEREAS, the Organic Law of Communication, the main instrument for attacking and gagging free information in Ecuador, remains in force and unchanged, despite repeated offers to reform it by the National Assembly and President Lenín Moreno
WHEREAS, principle 4 of the Chapultepec Declaration states that, "Murder, terrorism, kidnapping, pressure, intimidation, unjust imprisonment of journalists, material destruction of the media, violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators severely restrict freedom of expression and of the press." These acts must be promptly investigated and severely punished.
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVE
Repudiate the brutal murder of Ecuadorian journalists – by criminals and drug traffickers, an act that demonstrates the extreme risk journalists take when working in the border areas of Ecuador and Colombia
Assist the Ecuadorian press in its efforts to continue to inform the public and protect journalists
Insist that the government, the military, as well as and regional authorities of the country guarantee the safety of the media and press workers
Urge the government of President Lenín Moreno and the members of the National Assembly to undertake a thorough reform of the current legal framework to guarantee freedom of information and expression in accordance with international treaties
Send an urgent mission of IAPA authorities to Ecuador to analyze in situ the seriousness of the situation of the security of journalists and freedom of the press in that country and seek the commitment of all the branches of the government with the full exercise of freedom of expression and the right to information.
