During the violent campaigns recently presented in Perujournalists are in “the first line of fire,” warns the Inter-American Press Association (SIP).
In an interview with the voice of america, Carlos Jornet, president of the IAPA’s Press Freedom Committee, explained that “police and social tension in Peru has been growing” and the change of government has led to protests involving journalists who, trying to cover the demonstrations “and reflecting the climate of tension that exists in the streets of Peru, they are victims of attacks, aggressions, even bullets”.
According to the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP), since December 7 there have been more than 72 attacks against the press.
The ANP recorded a shot received by the photojournalist for the EFE agency, Aldair Mejía, on January 7, while he was covering demonstrations in the city of Juliaca, in the department of Puno. The IAPA recorded the “intentional” abuse of journalists Luis Angulo and Pablo Torres, from La Ribereña radio, in the province of Bellavista, on January 5.
Jornet emphasizes that, in this type of violent event, it is difficult for reporters to remain at the scene, with “a very accentuated climate of violence… without suffering the consequences.”
A concern to which, according to the IAPA spokesperson, is added the misinformation to which citizens may be exposed, seeing that professionals have obstacles to cover this type of event.
security protocols
In this sense, the organization, through of a statementon Friday called on the media to “urgently activate their security protocols” for professionals and provide them with the essential elements for safe coverage.
To “journalists too, trying not to be in the front line of fire or looking for a way to preserve their safety in order to reach the public with information, without being physically affected,” adds Jornet, journalistic director of the newspaper The voice of the interiorfrom Cordoba, Argentina.
The second call, says the IAPA spokesperson, is to the authorities so that, if possible, “they calm the situation, but, meanwhile, to guarantee the possibility of the free exercise of expression.
According to Council of the Peruvian Press, América TV, Canal N, Diario Sin Fronteras, Successful News, New National TV, Panamericana TV, PBO, Radio Juliaca La Decanain addition to independent journalists, are among the media affected in recent days in Puno, southern Peru.
The IAPA Chapultepec Index 2021-2022, that measures institutional actions that affect freedom of the press and expression in 22 countries of the Americas, indicated that Peru fell from position seven to 11 in the table that measures the state of press freedom in the region.
The Andean country has been plunged into a political and social crisis, after the dismissal of former president Pedro Castilloarrested after try to dissolve the Congress of Peru and decree an emergency government. Now, his sympathizers ask through demonstrations, which have turned violent and they already leave almost 50 fatalities, which the current president, Dina Boluarteleave your post.
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