News groups express fears
of British press controls


A group of leading global press freedom and media organizations have written an open letter to Queen Elizabeth II asking her to reject a proposed Royal Charter that would impose repressive statutory controls on the British press.

“For more than three centuries since Britain abolished the last set of statutory controls on the press in 1695, the United Kingdom has been a consistent champion of the most crucial freedom of all - freedom of expression – and a beacon of liberty across the world,” said the letter, signed by seven international media organizations.

“Freedom of expression was central to the European Convention of Human Rights which Britain helped draft. It is part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which the UK is a signatory. It is a core belief in the Commonwealth Charter which Britain inspired. Free speech and freedom of expression have throughout the 20th and 21st centuries therefore been at the core of Britain’s international commitments, of its leadership of the free world, and of its international reputation as a liberal democracy.

“Yet all that is now in danger. No one should be in any doubt that the proposed Royal Charter which politicians are forcing Your Majesty to sign is, despite the camouflage, in reality a set of repressive statutory controls being imposed on the press against its will. That should not be the function of a Royal Charter.”

The letter said the Charter would not only have an impact on press freedom in the United Kingdom, but would be used by repressive regimes worldwide to justify their own control of the press.

“The actions of Britain’s Parliament will be used as an excuse by those who want to muzzle the press in their own country and stifle the free flow of information – and there are many governments who would love to do so,” the letter said. “And it is your name, Your Majesty, that will regrettably be taken in vain. ‘If it is good enough for the Queen, it is good enough for us.’”

The letter was signed by the following members of the Coordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organisations: Commonwealth Press Union Trust, The Worldwide Magazine Media Association, the Inter American Press Association, the International Association of Broadcasting, the International Press Institute, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers and the World Press Freedom Committee.

The proposed Royal Charter on Self Regulation of the Press – a misnomer, since it is part of several proposals growing from the Leveson inquiry that would impose statutory regulation of the press – raises serious questions about the future direction of independent press regulation. The industry has described it as being neither voluntary nor independent with some fearing it gives politicians too much power.

Reports suggest that since Lord Justice Brian Leveson’s inquiry into press behavior, as many as 59 journalists have been arrested under three separate police investigations. None have been convicted and many have spent months on police bail.

The World Association of Newspapers, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore and India, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is to defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrity and the development of prosperous businesses.


Cardinals tie Series, 1-1,
for 4-3 victory over Red Sox


The St. Louis Cardinals beat the host Boston Red Sox 4-2 late Thursday to even Major League Baseball's World Series at one win apiece.

Trailing 2-1, the Cardinals scored three runs in the seventh inning to earn 22-year-old rookie pitcher Michael Wacha the victory. Boston's sloppy play on defense in that inning was partially responsible for the St. Louis runs.

The best-of-seven championship series now moves to St. Louis for three games starting Saturday night.


Rights organization opposes
amnesty for Ríos Montt

 
Reports that Guatemala may open the door to an amnesty for former President Effrain Ríos Montt would be a travesty of justice and send the country back more than a decade, said Amnesty International.
 
Ríos Montt is facing a re-trial for genocide and crimes against humanity.
 
“This is an alarming new development that, if confirmed, would set the country back decades. Amnesties can never be applied to genocide and crimes against humanity,” said Sebastian Elgueta, Guatemala researcher at Amnesty International.
 
“With such a decision, Guatemala’s authorities would destroy, with one signature, decades of progress when it comes to justice for the tens of thousands of people who died and were disappeared during the dark years of the conflict.”
 
According to media reports, Guatemala’s constitutional court has ordered that more details be provided as to why Ríos Montt’s request for amnesty was refused. This raises the possibility that amnesty is being seriously considered, closing the case against him and others facing similar charges.
 
“Awarding Rios Montt an amnesty would mean he could get away with genocide. This decision would also benefit others who are accused or convicted of enforced disappearances, systematic sexual violence, torture and killings. It would be a monumental disaster for the victims and their relatives and it must never happen,” said Elgueta.
 
“Amnesties are a tragedy for victims as they block truth, justice and reparation; and for society as a whole, as they prevent a full examination and acknowledgement of what occurs during periods of widespread human rights abuses.”
 
In May Ríos Montt was tried, convicted and sentenced to 80 years for his role in the killing of nearly 2,000 Ixil iindians between 1982 and 1983. The conviction was overturned 10 days later by the constitutional court on a technicality.
 
Between 1960 and 1996, Guatemala was immersed in a bloody internal armed conflict that pitted the army against guerrilla groups. Across the country, more than 200,000 men, women and children were murdered or disappeared during this 36-year-long war, most of whom were natives.



Young teenager murdered
on a street in León XIII


Someone gunned down a 14 year old late Wednesday in León XIII, a low income area in the Central Valley.

The boy died minutes after reaching Hospital México in La Uruca.

The Judicial Investigating Organization said that he suffered six bullet wounds, three in the chest, one in the back, one in the neck and one in the face. The killing appears to have taken place on a public street.



Costa Rica is recognized
for abolishing the military


The World Future Council has recognized Costa Rica for abolishing its military in 1948. The recognition was in conjunction with the U.N. Office of Disarmament.

The organization gave Costa Rica, one of seven finalists, an honorable mention. The top prize went to the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. Receiving the award was the former secretary general of the nuclear organization, Gioconda Ubeda, who now is a vice minister in the foreign ministry here.


Cancer awareness walk Nov. 3


The fourth walk against breast cancer, the Ruta Rosa, will be Nov. 3 in Desamparado sponsored by the Fundación Reciclando Lágrimas en Amor.
 
The walk is designed to remind residents of Desamparados, Aserrí and Acosta of the need for examinations and the early detection of breast  cancer. The event will conclude with a gathering in the Parque de Desamparados and a dance.