IAPA warns about regulations contrary to journalistic work in Bolivia

The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) warned about two norms that could threaten the work of journalists in Bolivia, in addition to recalling some cases of informants affected by conflicts in this country, in a preliminary report presented during its 77th General Assembly that begins this Tuesday.

The section on Bolivia opens with a mention of the controversial bill Against the Legitimization of Illicit Profits, Financing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction or Non-Conventional, which was analyzed in Parliament but that the Government of Luis Arce recently withdrew by the protests it generated.

According to the IAPA, the aforementioned regulation, promoted by the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS), eliminated the “journalistic source secret“, As it required”professionals from all sectors, including journalists, who renounce professional secrecy”.

This was denounced at the time by the media and journalists unions who warned about the risk of loss of protection of professional secrecy, before which the Government of Arce clarified that the norm did not apply to journalists or communicators.

Although the norm was withdrawn, sectors such as merchants and transporters foresee new protests demanding the annulment of the law on the National Strategy to Fight the Legitimization of Illicit Profits and the Financing of Terrorism, in force since August and which provided the framework for the project withdrawn.

The IAPA also mentioned another bill that “delegates to the state National Institute of Statistics (INE) the function of obtaining and centralizing data of all natural and legal persons, including non-governmental organizations, foundations, religious entities, international organizations and cooperation agencies”.

According to the entity, civil organizations have expressed concern that this law, which has already been approved in Parliament, “may restrict access to information, by granting a government entity the power to decide what data may or may not be disclosed”. that violates the rights established in the Bolivian Constitution.

Coca-grower conflict

The IAPA report, which must be approved by the Committee on Freedom of the Press in the Assembly, also referred to the impact on the press caused by the conflict between coca growers in the subtropical region of Los Yungas for control of the Departmental Association of Producers of Coca (Adepcoca) of La Paz.

The conflict has been dragging on since 2019 and was reactivated this year due to the intention of a faction of coca growers indicated to be related to the MAS to elect a new president of Adepcoca, ignoring the leader chosen in 2020 by the other producers.

The IAPA denounced that last July, due to this conflict, two radio directors and two reporters from Los Yungas were called to testify by the Prosecutor’s Office within the investigations into the death of a policeman during confrontations with coca growers, despite the fact that “they were not witnesses to the crime ”.

He also recalled that in September the journalist Carlos Quisbert was run over by an anti-riot agent and beaten by seven others when he was covering a confrontation between coca growers and police in La Paz.

Quisbert “was detained, handcuffed and tear gas sprayed inside a police vehicle”And despite the fact that he was released, he was arrested again and a prosecutor opened a process for him.

The journalist was finally released “five hours later in the face of pressure and protests from his colleagues”Adds the report.