Journalists ask to annul article 281 of Bill 305 and the Government puts it in ‘we will see’

The different associations and federations of Bolivian journalists decided to accept the invitation of the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies to agree on the text of the controversial article 281 of the project of Law 305 of Compliance with International Commitments in the Matter of Human Rights. The leadership of the communicators requested the suppression of the entire article; while the Government raised a modification of the text.

“The Government saw the need for this article cannot be approved as it is written and promised to revise the textthe parliamentarians and the authorities who were present they said this bill is not set in stone and therefore, it can be modified; but our position was clear, we ask for the annulment of the entire article”, declared the executive of journalists from La Paz, Carlos Salcedo.

The Government promotes in the Chamber of Deputies the bill called, “Law on Compliance with International Commitments in Human Rights Matters”, known as Law 305. In it, they propose alternative wordings of 11 articles of the Penal Code and the incorporation of seven new criminal offenses into Bolivian law.

The journalists oppose the approval of article 281. In the current wording, the penalty is 1 to 5 years for the crime of “dissemination and incitement to racism or discrimination”; in the alternative wording, the sentence is aggravated from 3 to 7 years prison for the same crime.

The other fact is the inclusion of a figure to penalize, “The person who, by any means: utter or disseminate hate speech founded on racist or discriminatory grounds”, points out subparagraph c) of the bill.

“When the act is committed by a worker or a worker of a media outlet company, or owner thereof, No immunity or jurisdiction may be claimed”, indicates paragraph III of this project.

However, this wording already appears in the current Criminal Code and was incorporated in October 2010, when the Government of Evo Morales approved the Law Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination, with strong opposition from journalists who fought until the end. , but the MAS had more than two thirds and imposed its law.

Now, the leader of the journalists explained that the Minister of Justice, Iván Lima, reminded them that this crime was already punishable since then and the journalists took the opportunity to request the modification of this article in the Law Against Racism and that it would also affect the Penal Code.

The conclusion of the meeting was the intention of parliamentarians to approve a modification “by consensus”, but for that task they will summon again the leaders of the journalists; although the official supporters also called the government communicators for a meeting this Friday.