By Liliana Honorato
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and several other international press organizations took the opportunity to express their mounting concern over the state of freedom of expression in Argentina and Ecuador during a meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organizations, which took place on July 12 in Santiago, Chile, reported the news website Martí on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Organizations present asked the Argentine and Ecuadorean governments to respect the unfettered circulation of information, stop violence against journalists, and ensure freedom of expression online enjoys the same protections as traditional media, IAPA said in an Aug. 6 press release.
Press representatives also condemned a policy of "harassment" and "discrimination" by the government of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner toward opposition media, reported the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is known for his aggressive stance against the media. The Argentine government has come under fire from IAPA and the U.S. government for trying to "silence the critical press," and for limiting freedom of the press.
Among the participating groups were the International Association of Broadcasting, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, the International Federation of the Periodical Press, the World Press Freedom Committee, Committee to Protection of Journalists, International Press Institute, the Commonwealth Press Union, and the Inter American Press Association.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
