MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Organized crime and authoritarian rulers, main threat for journalists in the Americas

Gonzalo Marroquin, IAPA president blasted Chavez, Morales, Correa and Cristina

Organized crime and authoritarian governments have become the main enemies for freedom of expression in the Americas said Gonzalo Marroquin, president of the Inter American Press Association.

“The two great freedom of the press enemies in the Americas are organized crime that kills journalists, intimidates to force self-censorship as has been happening in Colombia for years and now is emerging with significant strength in Mexico, and on the other side intolerant authoritarian governments”, said IAPA president during a meeting in Quito, Ecuador.

“Strangely enough there is a parallelism between organized crime and these authoritarian rulers”, since “both try to control and prevent the flow of information going to the community”, added Marroquin

The IAPA president reiterated his complaints about the attitudes of governments such as Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela which he underlined “try to dump the whole media into an only bag trying to discredit and disrepute it”.

Those are the countries that appeal to communication and media legislation, “Chavez in Venezuela, Morales in Bolivia, Cristina Fernandez in Argentina, Ecuadorean President Correa, they all use the same arguments”, emphasized Marroquin.

The IAPA is currently in Ecuador where he met with ombudsman Fernando Gutierrez, magistrates from the Constitutional Court and members of congress involved in the drafting of a report on the freedom of the press in the country.

IAPA which brings together owners and editors from the Americas media again deplored the drafted bill and instruments contemplated which allow for claims of abuse or moral offence, as has happened in Ecuador with lawsuits begun by President Rafael Correa against some media and communicators.

These court cases “show a consistent harassment against those who have different opinions or against those who make formal complaints supported by evidence of corruption at government level”.

Marroquin was planning to have an interview with President Correa but his press secretary Fernando Alvarado discarded any meeting until the IAPA president does not apologize with the head of state that he allegedly called a “dictator”.

The IAPA head denied having used such language but pointed out that the administration of President Correa is “intolerant” and some of its actions based on this attitude could lead to “dictatorial” measures.

Correa who alleges to be confronting a “de facto power, mediocre and corrupt” openly criticizes the IAPA reports which he accuses of “double speech” and of representing only the interests of the media bosses and companies.