IAPA condemns attacks against journalists in Ecuador

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Miami (March 20, 2023) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the bombings of five journalists in Ecuador. The institution urged the authorities to guarantee the safety of media workers, in addition to promptly and thoroughly investigate this attack against freedom of the press.

Journalists from TC Televisión, Teleamazonas and Ecuavisa received last week envelopes with explosives hidden in USB flash drives. One of these, sent to Ecuavisa reporter Lenín Artieda, exploded today when he inserted the device into a computer in his office. No injuries were reported. The envelope contained threats against Artieda, according to local media. So far, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

IAPA President Michael Greenspon and the chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Carlos Jornet, condemned the attacks. Greenspon, Greenspon, Global Head of Licensing & Print Innovation for the New York Times, and Jornet, editor of the Argentine daily La Voz del Interior, urged the government "to act promptly to find those responsible for the attacks."

They added that the organization will remain "attentive to the development of this serious situation that leaves journalists and media companies in a state of shock."

Journalists Mauricio Ayora, of TC Televisión in Guayaquil, and Milton Pérez of Teleamazonas in Quito, received similar envelopes.

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.

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