A draft “gag law” against the press triggers the alarm in Bolivia

Journalists from different departments of Bolivia protested this Wednesday an object called a “gag”which they consider an attack on freedom of expression, and reiterated that they remain in an “emergency” due to this and other provisions that are part of the “Law on compliance with international human rights commitments”.

Over the past week, press officers in cities such as La Paz, the seat of government, eastern Santa Cruz, Sucre and Cobija in the Amazon have abandoned their work tools such as cameras or microphones to express their rejection of Article 281.

In La Paz, protesters take trophies in Plaza Murillo, near the Bolivian Legislative and Executive Assembly, with posters and chants like “free no gag” to know your disagreement with this draft policy.

“We are in a situation where once again they are trying to confuse the population, confuse the press to approve a law that he wants to send to jail to journalists for the exercise of journalism,” said the president of the National Association of Journalists of Bolivia (ANPB), Zulema Alanes.

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Also present were the representative of the Association of Journalists of La Paz (APLP), Raúl Peñaranda, and a group of journalists with placards chanting slogans such as “outside the gag law”.

Alanes underlined that the Press Law, which regulates the work of the press, is in force and that the State Political Constitution also provides that journalistic work is “governs with its own ethical codes and self-regulatory mechanisms “and that for this are the courts of the press.

Similarly, in Santa Cruz, journalists gathered in the 24 de Septiembre square, the main square of the city, to hold a sit-in against article 281, but also against another bill that regulates and sanctions l “improper” use of social networks.

Journalists demanded that the principles of fundamental rights and that it is not intended to “silence the voices”.

In Sucre, the country’s constitutional capital and seat of the Judiciary, and also in Cobija They marched to demand respect for freedom of expression.

The “gag” article mentions that people who by any means spread ideas based on racial superiority, who promote or justify racism, who spread hate speech or when the fact is committed by a worker of a newspaper or its owner can not claim immunity or any jurisdiction.

Faced with this situation, journalists’ associations have declared a state of emergency.

Meanwhile, the Government has guaranteed freedom of expression and of the press in the country and has indicated that this project will be publicized before it is analyzed by the Legislative Assembly.

The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, said in an interview with the local channel Cadena A that the journalists did not first sit down to speak before making their protests and that they “never went against the work” of the press.

This was stated in an interview with Btv by the deputy minister of Communications, Gabriela Alcón “Freedom of the press and of expression” is guaranteed in the country. and that the government of President Luis Arce will not issue any regulation that violates this situation.

“No regulation will be issued that will violate freedom of expressionit will not issue regulations contrary to the press law, which is fully in force,” the deputy minister said.

He added that for this draft standard do not generate “susceptibility” This preliminary draft will be shared among journalists who will meet with the union as many times as necessary to inform them of the proposal.

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