Bolivian journalists abducted, assaulted by armed men while covering land dispute

[Judi Lynn]

November 4, 2021 7:43 PM EDT

Bogotá, November 4, 2021 – Bolivian authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the abduction and assault of six journalists by a group of armed men and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On October 28, seven reporters, photographers, and camera operators for several Bolivian media outlets were covering a land dispute in the eastern province of Guarayos when they were surrounded by armed men who shot at them, punched and kicked them, destroyed some of their equipment, and held six of them captive for about seven hours, according to CPJ interviews with two of the journalists via messaging app and news reports.

“The abduction and assault of a group of journalists in Guarayos, Santa Cruz, is extremely serious, and authorities cannot attempt to downplay it for political reasons,” said CPJ Latin America and the Caribbean Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick, in New York. “Bolivian authorities must bring those responsible to justice and send an unequivocal message that such violent abuses against the press are unacceptable.”

Jorge Gutiérrez, a photographer for the daily El Deber newspaper in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, told CPJ that the journalists had been invited by a soybean producers’ association to inspect private farmland in Guarayos occupied by protesters who claimed the land for themselves. He said the journalists flew from Santa Cruz to an area near the estate of Las Londras, about 110 miles north of Santa Cruz.

More:
https://cpj.org/2021/11/bolivian-journalists-abducted-assaulted-by-armed-men-while-covering-land-dispute/