The organization Article 19 reported that at least four journalists covering the events in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, on December 2nd, following the rollover of a National Guard vehicle, were threatened and intimidated by members of that agency and by members of the state’s Public Security Secretariat.
In a statement, the organization explained that, according to interviews with journalists J. Guadalupe Arce (CPS Noticias), Mauricio Lira (Noticias Puerto Vallarta), César Langarica (Reporte Diario Vallarta), and another journalist whose name was withheld (N+), they were harassed by the officers upon arriving at the scene.
The statement detailed that the officers demanded to see a supposed “federal license” from the journalists to carry out their work and threatened to arrest them or confiscate their cell phones and cameras as evidence for the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
He added that they were not allowed to take photographs, were pushed, and attempts were made to confiscate their equipment to obstruct their journalistic work. In the case of Guadalupe Arce, he said, he was surrounded and harassed by uniformed officers who demanded his identification with personal information, which they then photographed without his consent.
Given this, the organization maintained that these events constitute a serious violation of freedom of expression, the right to information, and the practice of journalism, and also demonstrate a lack of training and implementation of adequate protocols by members of the National Guard.
Therefore, it demanded that the municipal government of Puerto Vallarta guarantee the safety of journalists in the state, in order to eradicate any hostile environment that prevents them from carrying out their work safely and, consequently, ensure the strengthening of democratic life in society.
Regarding the National Guard and the Public Security Secretariat of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, the organization demanded that they adequately train their personnel on human rights and freedom of expression to prevent abuses and avoid the recurrence of acts of intimidation or information suppression.
Furthermore, it requested that the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists establish communication with the journalists who were attacked in order to agree on measures that guarantee their protection and safety.
As of the time of publication of this article, the National Guard has not commented on the allegations.
Source: eluniversal
