By: E&P Staff The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the Panamanian government yesterday after the country's National Assembly introduced a draft bill that would dramatically increase the penalties for journalists found guilty of libel or defamation.
The IAPA expressed dismay at the new measure, as it contradicted previous statements made by the country's legislature. The chairman of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Gonzalo Marroquin, cited a forum that the organization held in Panama with a group of media lawyers and legislators as an example of the country's about-face.
"The legislative forum concluded [at that time] that there was consensus on the need for more tolerance of criticism," Marroquin stated. "That is why it is counter-productive for Panamanian lawmakers to seek to enact a law that contravenes the principles of the Organization of American States and runs counter to the decriminalization that is being seen in Latin America."
Under the proposed bill, any person convicted of "defamation committed in the news media" would be subject to two to three years' imprisonment, or the equivalent in fines. Libel and slander would garner one to two years' imprisonment, or the equivalent in fines.
President Martin Torrijos had been cooperating with the IAPA in his advocacy of press freedom. One key example is Torrijos' endorsement of the Declaration of Chapultepec, which was drafted in 1994 by both the IAPA and private citizens calling for a free press. Torrijos is one of 22 leaders in the Western Hemisphere to have adopted the declaration.
Mr. Marroquin expressed his hopes that Torrijos' past commitments to free press will override the controversial bill.
"We trust that President Torrijos and the National Assembly will take these concerns very seriously, to the benefit of their country and the cause of press freedom."
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