Reporters Without Borders condemns police harassment and violence against journalists amid a wave of protests by students disputing the preliminary results from last weekend’s presidential election.

“We call for an end to acts of intimidation and violence against journalists and we urge both the government and the opposition to respect their work,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The authorities must guarantee the safety of journalists and must punish the police officers responsible for so much violence.”

The journalists who have been caught in the clashes between police and students in the past few days include La Tribuna photographer Mario Fajardo and Globo TV correspondent Víctoria Aguilar, who lost consciousness as a result of prolonged exposure to teargas.

On 22 November, two days before the election, Cesar Obando Flores, a journalist with local radio station Libre Estereo in the northeastern department of Colón, reporting receiving phone calls in which he was told he would be killed if he continued his election coverage.

The extreme polarization caused by the election has increased the dangers for journalists. The uncertainty and disputes over the results are continuing to exacerbate the situation and fuel a level of violence not seen since the June 2009 coup d’état.

Restoration of the rule of law nonetheless requires administrative transparency and media pluralism, which in turn requires respect for the work of journalists covering major news developments.

Photo: elnuevoherald.com