Press associations have denounced the aggressions suffered this Friday by journalists during the «civic» strike promoted by the opposition in the Bolivian region of Santa Cruz and point the finger at groups related to the ruling party, Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS).
«We repudiate the extreme violence exercised by MAS shock groups against journalists covering the incidents of the indefinite strike in Santa Cruz,» said the National Association of Journalists of Bolivia (ANPB) and the Association of Journalists of La Paz (APLP) in a joint statement.
These «aggressions» were committed amid shouts and threats against the «sold-out» journalists, «which shows that they act with premeditation and spread slogans aimed at stigmatizing and distorting the work of the press».
They specifically mention the physical aggression suffered by journalist Yerko Guevara, «savagely beaten after being thrown to the ground». «Other journalists were pushed, shaken, insulted and beaten», they denounced.
They also warned of the «complacency» of the police who, «instead of intervening to protect the work of the press and the integrity of the public, protect the aggressors».
«All cases of violence against journalists committed by MAS shock groups or police officers have gone unpunished, which shows the lack of will of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and government authorities», they added.
The Vice Minister of Communication of the Bolivian Government, Gabriela Alcón, has promised this Saturday that she will demand that the aggressions be investigated and that those responsible be punished, reports the newspaper ‘El Deber’.
Meanwhile, a researcher from Human Rights Watch (HRW), César Muñoz, condemned the violence against the press and demanded that the authorities guarantee the work of journalists and investigate the facts.
