Miami (March 29, 2022) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the continuous stigmatizing comments by Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro against the RCN and its journalists. The organization asked the candidate to suspend the harmful practice that usually "encourages violence and threats."
On March 28, Petro posted on Twitter "Neo-Nazis on RCN" in allusion to journalist David Ghitis, who published the opinion column "Petro wants to rob us" about the proposal of pension funds and the threats of the presidential candidate against private property.
IAPA President Jorge Canahuati recalled that the organization has warned, "Politicians and authorities in the region to use stigmatization and discrediting campaigns to neutralize their critics." Canahuati, executive president of Grupo Opsa, Honduras, added, "Unfortunately, given the public figure status of the person issuing the comments, these could encourage violence, threats, and hate messages from followers."
The Commission on Freedom of the Press and Information president, Carlos Jornet, urged the presidential candidate "to stop his stigmatizing discourse against RCN and its journalists," which becomes more dangerous "in a time of acute polarization such as an electoral process." Jornet, journalistic director of the Argentine newspaper La Voz del Interior, added, "Stigmatization attracts more risks when used as a propaganda tool during electoral campaigns."
Canahuati and Jornet recalled that public officials must be more tolerant of criticism and "subject to greater scrutiny by society," as established in the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere; and is based in Miami, Florida, United States
