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IACHR
Press Release
Office of the Special Rapporteur Condemns Murder of Journalist in Paraguay
June 24, 2014
Washington D.C., June 24, 2014 – The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder of Édgar Fernández, journalist of Radio Belén Comunicaciones, which took place on June 19 in the city of Concepción, department of Concepción, Paraguay. The Office of the Special Rapporteur expresses its concern and urges the Paraguayan authorities to take urgent action to establish the motive of the crime and to active all the legal instruments available to identify and punish the perpetrators behind this crime.
According to the information received, Fernández returned his home after completing his news program ‘Ciudad de la furia’ when a stranger come to his house and shot him several times. The stranger fled on a motorcycle with another person. The information available indicates that the journalist was known for his complaints and criticism of local authorities. According to the information received, the journalist had received threats. On June 21, authorities announced they captured a man suspected of being linked to the murder.
The Office of the Special Rapporteur considers it essential for the State to clarify the motive for this crime, and urges the authorities to thoroughly investigate the hypothesis that the crime could have been associated with the journalist’s work.
Principle 9 of the IACHR Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression states: "[t]he murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive due compensation."
The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression was created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to encourage the defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression in the hemisphere, given the fundamental role this right plays in consolidating and developing the democratic system.
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No. R70/14