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opinion

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In defense of the freedom of expression

by Miguel Antonio Bernal

For those who are persuaded that the right to freedom of expression and the right to information are essential for our development as Panamanians and as a society, the recent attacks on these rights cannot be ignored. Thus, in the middle of the silence of some and the indifference of others, in last the two weeks a large number of Panamanian citizens have come in the name of the freedom of expression, joined together in a committee under that banner, and have begun activities that are compiled in this brief chronology of citizens’ actionos:

June 27: Big demonstration at the Curia to learn the position the church. We were received by Luis Alberto Díaz, Treasurer of the Board of Directors of FETV and Monsignor Pablo Varela, Director of the USMA. The United Panamanian Teachers gave to a letter in rejection of the decision taken against the program Confrontación with Maribel Cuervo de Paredes. A letter to Vicente Paschal, President of the Board of Directors of FETV, was also written up. That same night, a group of worried citizens met and the name Citizens for the Freedom of Expression was chosen and the activities were planned for the following days.

June 28: Peaceful demonstration at the Archbishopric. At dusk a watch was held at Colegio La Salle where the annual Bread and Wine Supper was held.

June 29: Press conference. Former President Guillermo Endara Galimany and Miguel Antonio Bernal came to lend their support. A watch was held before the Archbishopric.

June 30: March by the Citizens for the Freedom of Expression, starting off of the Archbishopric, located in Carrasquilla. More than 500 citizens participated. Almost none of the television news, print and radio media informed the public.

July 1: A copy of the statutes of the FETV Foundation was obtained, and investigated in the public registry.

July 2: The second meeting of Citizens for the Freedom of Expression was summoned and held (with new members in attendance). The main objective was to analyze the statutes, and the decision was taken to send a letter to Fray Manuel Blanquer, in his role as executive president of the FETV Foundation. It was written up.

July 4: A meeting with Fray Manuel Blanquer had been asked for and, finally, after no answer was forthcoming, the letter was delivered to several sites, among them at the Episcopal Conference headquarters (with a picket), at the Nunciature and at the Archbishopric.

July 5: Watch at the residence Monsignor José Dimas Cedeño and delivery of a letter directed to him as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Panama, soliciting from him the reincorporation of the program Confrontación and the keeping of channel 5’s news department, which was the only impartial television news organization in Panama. Once again the Nunciature and the Episcopal Conference were given copies. We met at FETV with Carlos Lee, the news director.

July 6 and 7: Monsignor José Dimas Cedeño and Fray Manuel Santiago Blanquer were called on several occasions to no avail.

July 8: The University of Panama was solicited for the use of an auditorium for a live episode of Confrontación.

July 9: A meeting was summoned to better structure the organization and to create work commissions. The anxiety was growing over the indifference on the part of the media over the matter.

July 11: Participation in the radio program Alternativa, to show to the community the preoccupation of the group and to invite people to the second March by the Citizens for the Freedom of Expression and to the live episode of Confrontación.

July 12: Meeting finalize the details of the second march and the live Confrontación. A meeting with the Defensoría of the Pueblo was asked for.

July 13: We met with Guido Rodriguez, of the Defensoría of the Pueblo, who showed his support for us in our efforts to reinstate an independent program with which many Panamanians can identify.

July 14: Second March by the Citizens for the Freedom of Expression, and the live episode of Confrontación.

That it is. We are certain that, as the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression, which was approved by the Inter-American Commission of Human rights, teaches us: "the use of the power of the state and the resources of public property, the concession of sinecures; the arbitrary and discriminatory allocation of official publicity and official credits; the granting of radio and television frequencies, among others, with the objective to pressure and to punish or to reward and to bestow privileges upon social commentators and mass media based on their news policies, are against the freedom of expression and must be specifically prohibited by the law." These practices are incompatible with freedom of expression and more and more citizen are against them.