On November 3, members of the PGJE (Chiapas Prosecutor’s Office) arrested the journalist and computer specialist Hector Bautista, accusing him for organized crime and for distributing child pornography. As it was reported, he was arrested at his work without a warrant and taken to an unknown destination with all his computer equipment, CDs, USB memories and his vehicle. He has been mantained in pre-detention from this date.
On November 8, the journalist Anthony Flores Merida expressed concerns about his integrity for his work as a communicator. He explained: “Bautista Flores is my web hosting provider for my news site “InfoChiapas” (http://www.infochiapas.com).” He added: “I feel that the detention of Baptist Flores is a retaliation for his work and for its link to mine, as well as for the friendship we share.” He recalled in the same denunciation that Infochiapas published an exclusive research that was critical of the government of Chiapas, on September 30, arguing that the state of Chiapas is Mexico’s most indebted. Merida Flores also said that he felt threatened by a possible arrest after “officers of the Institute of Social Communication of the Government of Chiapas called to ask the directors of the local newspaper where he works as an editor what his working relationship with [Bautista] was.”
On November 12 , in a letter to the governor of Chiapas, journalists and mediaworkers demanded the release of Hector Bautista Flores saying “The offense committed against Hector Bautista we felt it as our own because he has hosted web sites for his peers (such is the case of Anthony Flores, author of InfoChiapas) and he has also taught us how to use the advantages of technological tools to inform the population of Chiapas. We know that you are aware that any state that wants to really achieve democracy needs free and critical media, as well as people who help to create that kind of media. Hector Bautista is one of them and we consider that his imprisonment is an injustice. “
For more information (in Spanish)
– Teme periodista independiente en su seguridad e integridad física y patrimonial por hostigamiento del Gobierno de Chiapas (denuncia de Anthony Flores Merida, 8 de noviembre)
– El agravio contra Héctor Bautista es un agravio a comunicadores de Chiapas (carta de periodistas y comunicadores de Chiapas, 12 de noviembre)
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