La Paz, 26.- Media organizations and press workers in Bolivia today maintain a call to consolidate a dialogue platform aimed at pacifying the country, especially in La Paz and the municipality of El Alto.
In a statement, these entities reiterated the need to form a platform that contributes to the reunion of different social sectors and allows for the protection of the population's rights and freedoms.
This call comes as the country reaches this Tuesday the 26th day of marches and blockades, in which various social sectors demand the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.
The associations indicated that the conflict has acquired political characteristics, and maintained that the situation affects rights linked to life, physical integrity, health, food, basic services, freedom of expression, information, work, education, and free movement.
Journalistic unions also called on national, departmental, and municipal authorities to coordinate actions aimed at reducing tension and facilitating conversations to find ways out of the conflict. They also demanded that the involved sectors abandon intransigent positions and enable spaces for "honest, credible, and clear" dialogue, including the possibility of resorting to mediation mechanisms.
Furthermore, in the pronouncement, they demanded guarantees for the work of journalists and media outlets, so that they can carry out their informative duties without pressure or restrictions.
The document warned of the risks of institutional deterioration and emphasized that such a scenario must be avoided through the participation of all actors.
The text was signed by the Bolivian Association of Broadcasting, the National Association of Journalists of Bolivia; the National Press Association, the Bolivian Association of Communication Researchers; the Syndical Confederation of Press Workers of Bolivia, and the National Council of Journalistic Ethics.
Likewise, it was signed by the Association of International Press Correspondents, the Association of Journalists of La Paz; the Association of Digital Media of La Paz; the Women Journalists Circle; the Syndical Federation of Press Workers of El Alto, and the Federation of Press Workers of La Paz.
This Monday, the Ombudsman, Pedro Callizaya, stated that the lack of agreements between the Government and social sectors demanding the resignation of President Paz places Bolivia on the edge of a precipice.
