MIAMI, Florida (August 30, 2006)-The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and Bolivias National Press Association (ANP) announced today that they will be jointly holding an international seminar on the Constituent Assembly and Press Freedom in the South American country, to be held in Sucre August 31 to September 1.
IAPA President Diana Daniels, of The Washington Post Company, Washington, DC, will open the conference, in which her organization will spark a debate on the leading press freedom, free speech and democracy issues to be taken into account in reform of Bolivias Constitution in September by the national Constituent Assembly.
The conference will feature a keynote speech by Carlos Toranzo, director of the Latin American Social Research Institute (ILDIS), on The Press and Democracy in Times of Change in Bolivia.
Two panel discussions are scheduled for the opening day. One will be a Diagnosis of rules and regulations governing freedom of expression in Bolivia and how the have been applied following the restoration of democracy. The other is a Diagnosis of how the news media have fared in those countries where constituent assemblies have been held. Taking part in these discussions will be ANP President Juan Carlos Rocha, of La Razón, La Paz, Bolivia; Felipe Edwards, an IAPA board member and executive vice president of La Segunda, Santiago, Chile; Edwin Tapia, editor of La Opinión, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Ronald Grebe, director of the Prisma Institute; Javier Casas, legal affairs director of the Press and Society in Peru Institute; Eduardo Bowles, editor of El Nuevo Día, Santa Cruz, Bolivia; IAPA Executive Editor Julio E. Muñoz, and Constituent Assembly members Samuel Doria Medina (of the UN party), Carlos Alberto Gotilla (PODEMOS) and Senator Antonio Peredo (MAS).
In addition to Daniels, Edwards and Muñoz those representing the IAPA will be Press Freedom Director Ricardo Trotti and Chapultepec Project Manager Sally Zamudio.
On Friday, September 1 the main activity will be remarks by former Bolivian President Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé on The Constituent Assembly and the nations vision in the context of the changes that are wanted to be brought about in the rules and regulations governing freedom of expression. He will be accompanied by National Congressman Iván Canelas and Tuffi Aré, managing editor of El Deber, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
The main objective of the two-day conference in Sucre is to draw up a declaration on press freedom and freedom of expression to be formally delivered to the members of the Constituent Assembly for their consideration during deliberations on amending Bolivias Constitution. The submission will be made by ANP Executive Director Gonzalo Torrico, ANP President Pedro Glasinovic, La Palabra de Beni, Bolivia, Editor Jorge Melgar and Congressman Iván Canelas (MAS).
During the international seminar the IAPA will raise a number of major issues concerning press freedom and free speech, such as the need for access to public information, repeal of insult laws, of libel and defamation, professional confidentiality and that there be no obligatory membership of a guild or association to be able to work as a journalist.
This IAPA activity is funded by the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation and is the third of its kind this year, the others being in Panama in February and Brazil in May.
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