Open letter to minister about discrimination against Amazon radio station
Organisation:
Mr. Enrique Javier Cornejo Ramírez
Minister of Transport and Communications
Lima, Peru Dear Minister, Reporters Without Borders, an organisation that defends press freedom worldwide, is amazed by the transport and communications ministry’s silence in response to the call for the reopening of radio La Voz de Bagua Grande. You cancelled the station’s licence on 8 June, accusing it of inciting rioting in Amazonas province in which 34 people died. La Voz’s lawyer, Roberto Pereira, publicly responded on 21 June to the reasons given by your ministry for its closure. We agree with Pereira that the technical grounds - “lack of approval” and “broadcasting from an unauthorised location” - do not hold up. You cannot claim the station did not respect the period for getting its frequency approved, from 15 March 2008 to 15 March 2009, as the frequency was certified on 25 February 2009. And La Voz already explained to you on 29 January, citing a letter from the Utcubamba town hall, why it had to move from its original location. At the time, the change of location did not pose any obstacle to the station’s authorisation to broadcast. Why should the opposite be the case now? We cannot therefore rule out the possibility that La Voz has been punished for political reasons. Like La Voz, the national radio station Radio Programas del Perú (RPP) allowed those participating in the conflict in Bagua Grande to speak on the air on 5 June. Among those interviewed by RPP was a group of indigenous who had kidnapped 12 policemen and who threatened on the air to execute them. RPP was never punished for this. Punishing La Voz is therefore discriminatory. This is also why we are worried by the comments made at the time by your interior ministry colleague, Mercedes Cabanillas, about La Voz and Radio Oriente. We look forward to receiving your reply, which we promise to publish on our website. Respectfully, Jean-François Julliard
Reporters Without Borders secretary-general (Photo : FENAMAD)
Minister of Transport and Communications
Lima, Peru Dear Minister, Reporters Without Borders, an organisation that defends press freedom worldwide, is amazed by the transport and communications ministry’s silence in response to the call for the reopening of radio La Voz de Bagua Grande. You cancelled the station’s licence on 8 June, accusing it of inciting rioting in Amazonas province in which 34 people died. La Voz’s lawyer, Roberto Pereira, publicly responded on 21 June to the reasons given by your ministry for its closure. We agree with Pereira that the technical grounds - “lack of approval” and “broadcasting from an unauthorised location” - do not hold up. You cannot claim the station did not respect the period for getting its frequency approved, from 15 March 2008 to 15 March 2009, as the frequency was certified on 25 February 2009. And La Voz already explained to you on 29 January, citing a letter from the Utcubamba town hall, why it had to move from its original location. At the time, the change of location did not pose any obstacle to the station’s authorisation to broadcast. Why should the opposite be the case now? We cannot therefore rule out the possibility that La Voz has been punished for political reasons. Like La Voz, the national radio station Radio Programas del Perú (RPP) allowed those participating in the conflict in Bagua Grande to speak on the air on 5 June. Among those interviewed by RPP was a group of indigenous who had kidnapped 12 policemen and who threatened on the air to execute them. RPP was never punished for this. Punishing La Voz is therefore discriminatory. This is also why we are worried by the comments made at the time by your interior ministry colleague, Mercedes Cabanillas, about La Voz and Radio Oriente. We look forward to receiving your reply, which we promise to publish on our website. Respectfully, Jean-François Julliard
Reporters Without Borders secretary-general (Photo : FENAMAD)
Published on
Updated on
20.01.2016
