Paraguay apologises for murder of journalist Santiago Leguizamón, unpunished after 35 years
The Paraguayan State acknowledged its responsibility in the journalist's murder, but outstanding measures ordered by the Inter-American Court remain to be implemented.
The State acknowledges its responsibility to Santiago Leguizamón's family
The Paraguayan State publicly acknowledged its responsibility in the murder of journalist Santiago Leguizamón and offered formal apologies to his family and society, according to ifj.org. The ceremony took place on 27 July at the Palace of Justice in Asunción, in compliance with one of the reparation measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court). Representing the State, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Alberto Martínez Simón, acknowledged the human rights violations declared in the sentence.
Leguizamón was murdered on 26 April 1991 in Pedro Juan Caballero. Through his journalistic work he addressed matters such as corruption, drug trafficking, smuggling, the conduct of authorities and business figures, the situation of peasant and indigenous communities, and violence in the border region. He had received threats related to his work before being murdered. The crime remains unpunished 35 years later.
The Inter-American Court sentence and its outstanding obligations
In its sentence of 15 November 2022, the Inter-American Court concluded that the State was aware of the situation of risk in which the journalist found himself and did not adopt the necessary protection measures. It also determined that Paraguay did not pursue the investigation or trial of those responsible within a reasonable timeframe, and failed to act with due diligence.
The 27 July ceremony represents the fulfilment of only one of the reparation measures ordered by the international tribunal. Among the obligations identified as outstanding by the Human Rights Coordinator of Paraguay (CODEHUPY) are the establishment of the Working Group provided for in the sentence, the promotion of a law protecting journalists and human rights defenders, the reinstatement of the Santiago Leguizamón National Journalism Prize, and the preservation and recovery of spaces dedicated to his memory.
Voices from the ceremony: family, union and human rights organisations
During the ceremony, the general secretary of the Union of Journalists of Paraguay (SPP), Santiago Ortiz, warned that state acknowledgement "cannot become a mere formal compliance. It must mark a before and after in the attitude of the Paraguayan State". Ortiz also demanded full compliance with the sentence and concrete actions to clarify the murders of press workers that remain unpunished in the country.
On behalf of the family, Dante Leguizamón, the journalist's son and executive secretary of CODEHUPY, received the apologies with satisfaction, but maintained that his father's memory must translate into public policies against impunity and in favour of the protection of journalism. He also noted that the sentence transcends the individual case and should contribute to ensuring that no other person exercising journalism, nor their family, goes through a similar situation.
Background: the demand prior to the apology ceremony
A week before the ceremony in Asunción, the Leguizamón family, the SPP and CODEHUPY held an event in Pedro Juan Caballero to demand compliance with the sentence. On that occasion, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)—an organisation representing more than 600,000 journalists in 146 countries—backed the demand and called for concrete progress on reparation measures and guarantees of non-repetition.
The IFJ and the SPP, its affiliated organisation in Paraguay, valued the apology ceremony as a necessary step, though insufficient. According to both organisations, public acknowledgement cannot close the process or substitute for actions still pending. The Paraguayan State must guarantee full compliance with the sentence and adopt sustained measures against impunity and violence towards the press.
The IFJ demands concrete measures beyond the symbolic gesture
For the IFJ, protecting those who investigate matters of public interest is essential to guarantee society's right to be informed and to strengthen democracy. The international body stressed that formal compliance with one reparation measure does not equate to full compliance with the Inter-American Court sentence in the case Leguizamón Zaván and others vs. Paraguay.
The case of Santiago Leguizamón highlights the situation of journalists covering border areas and sensitive topics such as organised crime in Paraguay, where impunity for crimes against the press remains a debt of the judicial system.
Source: Google News PY — Crime