H.E. Juan Evo Morales Ayma
President
Palacio de Gobierno
Plaza Murillo
La Paz
Republic of Bolivia
Fax: (011.591.2) 220.4213
Your Excellency:
The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) regrets the necessity to express our renewed concern over the treatment of journalists in Bolivia. The OPC, an independent organization that has defended press freedom around the world for nearly seventy years, asks that you issue a strong public message of support for Bolivian reporters of all stripes who are just doing their jobs, but who, it appears, are repeatedly and continually under attack.
As you may recall, on December 5 of last year, we asked you to put an end to the police and civilian harassment of journalists covering political protests in Bolivia. We also welcomed the new dialogue between Bolivian press associations and your government and urged you to work tirelessly toward reaching a meaningful understanding of the important role played by the Bolivian media.
We wrote after receiving word that at least five journalists were beaten by police while trying to cover the November 25 anti-government protest in Sucre, and that more were harassed as violence broke out in La Paz, where your supporters attacked journalists and their media offices. Now, we have learned of continued violence against journalists during a referendum held on May 4 in the department of Santa Cruz on an autonomy proposal for the region. Three journalists were injured and a fire started by protesters damaged a TV station in the La Paz suburb of El Alto.
And most egregiously, we have received word of a fatality – a reporter beaten to death by a mob in Pucarani. He died a slow death after the beating by a crowd of almost 150 persons. The OPC is outraged that such on event could take place without police intervention. In the Santa Cruz incidents, photographer Miguel Carrasco of the daily, La Razón was attacked in Yapacaní on May 3 while covering a demonstration by migrants from the Altiplano opposed to the autonomy proposal; cameraman, José Luís Herrera Rojas, of the TV station Red Unitel was hit in the face by a stone in Montero, and journalists with three other privately-owned TV stations, PAT, Red Uno and Canal 18, were affected by tear gas.
Also, according to local reports on May 4, reporter, Maritza Roca Bruno of Radio Marítima was outside the International Press Centre that had been set up in Santa Cruz for the referendum when she was attacked by five people, including central government official, Homero Amorín, after she found them in a truck laden with ballots. On the same day, in Alto, referendum opponents threw stones at the installation of Canal 24, a TV station owned by La Paz governor, José Luis Paredes, a political ally of the pro-autonomy camp. Mobs also attempted to intimidate journalists at the La Paz offices of TV stations, Unitel, PAT and ATB.
And now we read that on March 27, at least 150 protesters rallied outside the government building in Pucarani, calling for the removal of Mayor Alejandro Mamani. The protesters forced their way into the municipal building, broke down the door to Radio Municipal, destroyed station equipment and fatally beat reporter, Carlos Quispe Quispe.
We may be mistaken, and please correct us if we are wrong, but we have heard of no arrest for murder in this case. Nor are we aware of any other steps taken by your government to protect journalists.
We would welcome any response to this and our previous letter.
Respectfully yours,
Robert Sullivan
Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
H.E. Gustavo Guzman Saldana
Ambassador of the Republic of Bolivia
Embassy of the Republic of Bolivia
3014 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax (202) 328-3712
Ambassador Hugo Siles-Alvarado
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bolivia to the United Nations
211 East 43rd Street, Room 802
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 687-4642
H.E. Philip S. Goldberg
U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia
Embassy of the United States of America
Avenue Arce
La Paz 2780
Bolivia
Fax: (011.591.2) 216.8111
H.E. D. Alfredo Octavio Rada
Minister of the Interior
Ministerio de Gobierno
Avenue. Arce No. 2409
La Paz
Republic of Bolivia
Fax: (011.591.2) 244.2589
The Honorable Da. Celima Torrico
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Palacio de Gobierno
Plaza Murillo
La Paz
Republic of Bolivia
Fax: (011.591.2) 220.3996
minjust@caoba.entelnet.bo
Rodrigo Ticona Espinoza
Jefe de Redacción
El Diario
Calle Loayza # 118
La Paz
Bolivia
Fax: (011.591.2) 236.3846
redinfo@eldiario.net
Alcides Flores Moncada
Jefe de Redacción
Los Tiempos
Edificio Los Tiempos Plaza Quintanilla
Casilla 525
Cochabamba
Bolivia
Editor
La Razon
La Paz, Bolivia
jcrocha@larazon.com