Second Shooting Incident Reported at La
Nación
in Less Than a Month
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
today called for a prompt and thorough investigation into two gunfire
attacks this month against the facilities of the daily Spanish language
newspaper La Nación in San José.
Three unidentified assailants fired several shots at the newspaper
building from a moving vehicle about 4 a.m. on March 23, La Nación
reported. No one was injured in the attack, which caused slight
damage to the building.
Based on interviews with security guards and the discovery of five bullet
casings, police suspect a 38-caliber handgun was used, according to
newspaper.
Two weeks earlier, an unidentified individual fired several shots at the
paper's security post, where guards watch over the newspaper's parking
lot and administrative offices. The attacker apparently got into a
waiting car and fled after the shooting, which occurred on the night of
March 8. Two guards were forced to take cover, but no injuries were
reported.
"Costa Rica is known as a country where press freedom is widely
respected but these violent incidents undermine that reputation," CPJ
Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "The government must take measures
to ensure journalists are able to work freely and without fear of
retaliation."
In 2001, the muckraking producer and host of the weekly radio program
"La Patada" , was slain by unknown gunmen. The murder of Parmenio Medina
Pérez remains unsolved, even though several men are in preventive
detention, including outspoken priest, Minor Calvo, who is being accused
of being the author of the crime.
Armando González, La Nación's managing editor, told CPJ that the
paper had not received any threats before the attacks but said he was
concerned that someone might be trying to intimidate journalists.
La Nación has broken major stories and taken an editorial
position on a hotly contested issue in recent years. In 2004, La
Nación played a key role in uncovering corruption scandals that
ended with the detention of former presidents Miguel Ángel
Rodríguez and Rafael Ángel Calderón.
The detention of Rodríguez was particularly embarrassing since he was
forced to resign as Secretary General of the Organization of American
States and was led to court in handcuffs on his arrival on Costa Rican
soil on October 15, 2004.
La Nación has also supported the U.S.-Central America Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA) or Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) in Spanish, which
Costa Rica signed in 2004 but has yet to ratify. Throughout Central
America, CAFTA has met fierce opposition from some groups, including
trade unions and farmers.
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