A new penal code that took effect at the end of November could pose major
obstacles to the functioning of a free press. The government now has the
right to confiscate "written publications" that are being investigated for
unspecified "illegal" activities. Another provision of the code prohibits
filming, photographing, or recording the voice of any person -- including
politicians -- without his or her consent. The Sindicato de Periodistas del
Paraguay (SPP) has denounced the new laws and questioned their
constitutionality.
The SPP also publicly protested when President Raúl Cubas Grau, who
took office in August, restricted access for journalists assigned to cover
the presidential palace. While Cubas said the action was taken for security
reasons, he later reversed the policy after journalists described the move
as a deliberate attempt to impede their work.
Comments made by former coup leader Gen. Lino Oviedo in December, in which
he accused media owners of being "corrupt" and "not paying taxes," have raised
concerns about the military's tolerance for free expression. Oviedo, who
was sentenced to a 10-year jail term for his role in an aborted 1996 coup
against then-President Carlos Wasmosy, was pardoned by Cubas in August. Cubas
and Oviedo are political allies in the ruling Colorado Party. Oviedo made
the critical remarks about the press in December, soon after the Paraguayan
Supreme Court ruled that he return to jail. Oviedo has refused to comply
with the Supreme Court order, raising the specter of a constitutional crisis. |
