Press Freedom

Peru August 10, 2005

H.E. Alejandro Toledo
President
Office of the President
Palacio de Gobierno
Plaza de Armas S/N
Lima 1
Republic of Peru
Fax: (011.51.14) 32-65-35
 

Your Excellency:

As a non-partisan organization committed to defending press freedom throughout the world, we write to express our grave concern over the recent brutal assault of three Peruvian journalists, and over the fact that none of the assailants, including policemen in one instance, have been brought to justice.

We refer to the violent assault on Victor Abel del Castillo Saavedra of TV Sur Canal 9 by police in a public square in Cuzco, the attack on Marilu Gambini Lostanau , a freelance journalist, in her home; and the assault by two women activists on Magno Sosa , editor of the bi-monthly, Rebelión. Sosa, who has been arrested in the past and beaten for his reporting, was assaulted at the Huamanga railway station by Gloria Alvarez de la Cruz and Basiliza Dololier Quispe, who also threatened him with death. Neither of the women, leaders of a group that defends dismissed public employees, has been arrested, according to last reports.

Journalist Gambini was confronted by two men posing as bricklayers who entered her home in Chimbote , searched the premises, and stole specific documents. Gambini, who has written about drug trafficking, was targeted even though she has had government protection since 2000. While not proven, a link to both her drug-related stories, and to the possibility her assailants were members of the armed forces, cannot be ruled out.

The case of del Castillo is especially unsettling since his attackers were fifteen policemen who threatened him with reprisals if he “continued to talk.” A Peruvian press freedom organization, the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, believes the threat concerned his investigation into the alleged payment of bribes to journalists to praise Cuzco ‘s mayor, Carlos Valencia Miranda.

Whether or not these attacks were related to the journalists’ work the assaults on them are suspicious in the least, and they suggest a serious threat to press freedom. We therefore urge you to do all in your power to conduct a thorough investigation , and to bring to justice those responsible.
 

Respectfully yours,
John Langone
Norman A. Schorr
Freedom of the Press Committee

cc:

Carlos Ferrero Costa

Prime Minister

Office of the Prime Minister

Parque Universitario S/n

Lima 1

Pisa 8

Republic of Peru

Fax: (011.51.42) 60230

Roberto Danino

Ambassador of Peru to the U.S.A.

Embassy of the Republic of Peru

1700 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington , DC 20036

Fax: (202) 659-8124

Ambassador Oswaldo de Rivero

Permanent Representative

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Peru

to the United Nations

820 Second Avenue , Suite 1600

New York , NY 10017

Fax: (212) 972-6975

James Struble

U.S. Ambassador to Peru

Embassy of the United States of America

Avenida La Encalada

Cdr. 17 S/N

Lima 3