Miami (November 18, 2020).– The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) reiterated its request to the new government of Peru to investigate and punish those responsible for the attacks against journalists that occurred during the protests due to the institutional crisis that has shaken the country in recent days.
At least 40 journalists and hundreds protesters were attacked during the anti-government demonstrations, mostly in Lima by the police force. Two young protesters died during the protest.
"While we welcome the apologies of the interim president of Peru, Francisco Sagasti, for the violence deployed by the security forces, we reiterate our request for a thorough investigation into the excessive use of force against journalists and punish those responsible," agreed Jorge Canahuati, president of the IAPA, and Carlos Jornet, president of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information.
Canahuati, president of Grupo Opsa, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and Jornet, director of the newspaper La Voz del Interior, Córdoba, Argentina, added that "the IAPA will continue to be alert and vigilant about the crisis in Peru" and expressed their hope that the government "respect and guarantee freedoms of the press and expression in the country, as an essential need for the resolution of the political crisis."
IAPA is a non-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 publications from the western hemisphere; and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.