Freedom of Expression

Bolivia

Assassinations

1.                  On July 29, 2001, Juan Carlos Encinas, a journalist with the La Paz newscast Enlace de Canal 21, was killed while covering a dispute between two organizations over control of a mining cooperative.  He was 39 years old.  According to the Federation of Press Workers of Bolivia (FTPB) and the Union of Press Workers of El Alto, a ballistics report issued by the technical judicial police revealed that the ammunition used was army issue.  Other sources claimed that journalist was killed by gunshots fired by armed workers.[1]

Aggression and Threats

2.                  In December 2001, the journalists O’Connor Daguino, Daniel Fernández, Roberto de la Cruz, and José Velasco from the dailies El Diario and Los Tiempos were threatened and attacked because of their investigations into corruption in the Bolivian police in connection with the assassination of a police officer in August 2001.  According to the information received, the slain policeman had divulged acts of internal corruption involving Police Chief Walter Osinaga.  Because of his investigations in this case, O’Connor Daguino, a reporter on the newspaper El Diario, was attacked by unknown persons while entering his home in the Villa Copacabana district.  As a result of this incident, the journalist lost an eye.  Daniel Fernández and José Velasco, both reporters with the same paper, were attacked by unknown assailants on the street.  Around the same time, Los Tiempos also reported that one of its reporters had received threats and another was being intimidated by police chiefs, and that both incidents were related to their investigative work into this case.  Journalist Roberto de la Cruz from El Diario and the photographer from the Decano de la Prensa Nacional also received anonymous telephone calls in which threats were made against their lives and those of their families.  According to the information received, the individuals making the threats told the journalists that if they continued to publish stories about this dead policeman, “they would be in a lot of trouble.” The journalists feel they are being persecuted by the police.[2]

Intimidation

3.                  On July 17, 2001, the Ondas del Titicaca radio station in Huarina was forced to stop transmitting.  Reports claim that the station has been targeted for harassment and intimidation by the local military authorities.[3]

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