PARAGUAY

Country Summary

The press continued to play an important role in Paraguay’s fledgling democracy by reporting on government corruption, political turmoil, and the ongoing problem of drug trafficking.

In January, the head of Paraguay’s army, Gen. Lino Oviedo, publicly attacked the press for reporting that he was involved in the activities of a political party, despite a constitutional ban against military participation in politics. Oviedo’s political ambitions became apparent in April when it was revealed that he was behind a threatened military coup.

Journalists covering drug trafficking continue to suffer reprisals for their work. Reporters based in remote provincial areas were particularly vulnerable to such attacks. In January, a fugitive drug trafficker shot a correspondent for the national newspaper ABC Color, mistaking the correspondent, who is based in the city of Pedro Juan Caballero, on the border with Brazil, for another ABC Color reporter. ABC Color has aggressively covered the activities of Brazilian drug cartels.

In Asunción, another ABC Color reporter received death threats after the publication of articles about alleged corruption among members of the national police.

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