The negative trend apparent in Chile, which has fallen from 33rd to
80thout of 179 countries in the latest world press freedom index
compiled by
Reporters Without Borders, is unfortunately set to continue in view of the
reported attacks on journalists.

“At issue once again are the abuses by the security forces, especially the
carabinero militarized police [http://en.rsf.org/chile-more-media-freedom-violations-18-10-2011,41233.html](http://en.rsf.org/chile-more-media-freedom-violations-18-10-2011,41233.html),”
the press freedom organization said.

“Detentions, although short in duration, are often accompanied by the
destruction of equipment, amounting to censorship. Such incidents have led
to the cancellation of an attempt by some journalists to hold talks with
the carabineros’ command on preventive measures.

“Precise instructions must be given to the security forces, and made
available publicly, and video journalists must be given a guarantee that
they will be compensated for any equipment seized or destroyed.”

*Ricardo Uribe, *a cameraman with the Colombian news station *NTN 24, *was
detained on March 15 in Santiago during a demonstration by students in the
Parque Bustamante which was violently dispersed by carabineros.

Witnesses said the students made no attempt to hide their faces, did not
build barricades or take violent action. The journalist was detained on the
grounds of impeding the actions of the security forces and was kept in a
carabineros’ bus, preventing him from covering the disturbances in a normal
manner.

Several attacks on journalists were reported during demonstrations in
Santiago in support of protests in the Aysén region. Since the start of the
year, résidents in Aysén have been expressing their dissatisfaction at the
region’s economic isolation, high fuel prices, low minimum salaries and
lack of health and medical infrastructure.

The first of these was on 24 February when *Félix Madariaga*, a journalist
with the Corporation of Promotion and Defense of the People’s Rights
(COPEDU – [http://www.codepu.cl/](http://www.codepu.cl/)), was detained by carabineros, who
assaulted him and refused to attend to his injuries.

He was forced to seek medical attention by himself and, while he was being
treated, he was questioned by carabineros who failed to ensure that a
colleague or lawyer was present as required by law.

Also in Santiago, *Jason Suder*, an American reporter for the
English-language newspaper *Santiago Times, *was arrested as he was
photographing the interrogation of a young demonstrator, and was taken to a
police barracks in the city centre.

His status as an international journalist granted him no protection from
the carabineros’ brutality, as he recounts in an article in the *Huffington
Post* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-suder/chile-freedom-of-press_b_1324547.html](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-suder/chile-freedom-of-press_b_1324547.html).

Two more cases of injurious assault were reported in the capital during
demonstrations on 7 and 8 March – those of *Jorge Zúñiga San Martin*, a
photographer with the magazine *Punto Final, *and a freelance
colleague *Cristián
González* [http://www.eldinamo.cl/tumblr/reportero-grafico-acusa-agresion-de-carabineros-en-manifestacion-por-aysen-en-santiago/](http://www.eldinamo.cl/tumblr/reportero-grafico-acusa-agresion-de-carabineros-en-manifestacion-por-aysen-en-santiago/).

In Aysén itself, the regional radio station *Radio Santa María *reported
that one of its journalists, *Rodrigo Labarca*, was assaulted by a
carabinero on 13 March, but fortunately suffered no serious injuries.

Reporters Without Borders is also concerned about the consequences for the
free flow of information of the application in Aysén of the State Security
Law, enacted under the 1973-1990 dictatorship and unchanged since, and of
the 1984 anti-terrorism law, used in the recent past against Chilean and
foreign journalists in the southern region of Araucania
[http://en.rsf.org/chile-letter-to-president-bachelet-about-06-06-2008,27352.html](http://en.rsf.org/chile-letter-to-president-bachelet-about-06-06-2008,27352.html).

**Benoît Hervieu**

**Despacho Américas / Americas desk**
**Reporters sans frontières**
47 rue Vivienne 75002 Paris – France
+33 1 44 83 84 68 / ameriques@rsf.org
twitter : RSF_Americas
skype : rsf_americas