WHEREAS, the spread of organized crime and armed gangs in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico and Paraguay has led to murders, attacks and other acts of violence against journalists and the media, which create a climate of insecurity for the practice of journalism and constitute a serious threat to freedom of the press
WHEREAS, in Argentina, on October 11, criminals linked to drug trafficking hung a canvas sign in front of the offices of the Telefé Rosario channel - in the city of Rosario, with the message: "we are going to kill journalists"
WHEREAS, in Colombia, 15 regional and local media went off the air in early May due to violent threats from the drug trafficking group "Clan del Golfo" in Antioquia and Cordoba
WHEREAS, in Ecuador, armed individuals fired shots at the headquarters of the RTS channel in Guayaquil, Guayas province, on October 7, and left a pamphlet with death threats against the director of the daily Extra and the newspaper's vendors, signed by "La Nueva Generación" - a Mexican criminal organization
WHEREAS, in Haiti, in the midst of violent political protests, on September 13 the radio station Radio Model was attacked and destroyed, and a technician was injured in Petion Ville; on September 15 the state-owned Radio Television Nationale d'Haiti (TNH) - in the Delmas neighborhood - was also attacked by demonstrators who set fire to three vehicles and stole equipment from the station; and in the same month the headquarters of Radio Liberation was also attacked and burned down
WHEREAS, in Mexico, the drug cartel violence continues - on August 11 the cartels attacked civilians and businesses in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, killing, among others, four members of a Switch 105.9 radio team broadcasting from the parking lot of a pizzeria: Allan Gonzalez - Announcer; Lino Flores – Promotions Department; Armando Guerrero - Operations Manager; and Alex Arriaga - Bodyguard
WHEREAS, in Paraguay, the collusion of the state apparatus with the drug trafficking mafias has been denounced; organized crime killed journalist Humberto Coronel, on September 6 in Pedro Juan Caballero; in May the former mayor of that city, José Carlos Acevedo, was killed; and in Colombia, the delegated prosecutor of the Specialized Unit to Fight Organized Crime in Paraguay, Marcelo Pecci, was also killed
WHEREAS, Principle 4 of the Chapultepec Declaration states: "Murder, terrorism, kidnapping, coercion, intimidation, unjust imprisonment of journalists, physical destruction of the media, violence of any kind, and impunity for perpetrators severely curtail freedom of expression and of the press. These acts must be promptly investigated and severely punished."
THE 78TH IAPA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLVES
To demand that the authorities of these countries adopt the necessary public policies to curb the growing insecurity and the actions of organized crime
To urge authorities where protection mechanisms exist, as in Brazil, Colombia, Honduras and Mexico, to further strengthen them in order to guarantee the exercise of press freedom and the safety of journalists
To emphasize that protection systems must be accompanied by adequate regulatory frameworks, appropriate budgets and qualified personnel to prevent violence against journalists
To encourage the government of Paraguay to move forward with the creation of a system for the protection of journalists - as already set out in a bill
To urge the government of Ecuador to immediately activate a robust protection mechanism that meets its objective of safeguarding the safety of journalists.
