Paraguay apologizes for 1991 journalist assassination, fulfilling rights court order

The Paraguayan state has formally apologized and acknowledged its international responsibility for the 1991 assassination of journalist Santiago Leguizamón. The apology, delivered during an official reparation ceremony, fulfills a sentence issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Alberto Martínez Simón, president of Paraguay's Supreme Court of Justice, stated that complying with the sentence holds "profound institutional, human, and democratic significance" and strengthens the state. He described the act as an exercise in memory and respect for Leguizamón, who dedicated his life to seeking truth, and for his family, who have endured over three decades of loss.

“

This act constitutes, above all, an exercise of memory and respect: memory towards a journalist who made the search for truth a life's vocation, respect towards his family who for more than three decades have lived with the pain of an irreparable loss.

"I ask, on behalf of the Paraguayan State, for the corresponding public apologies," Martínez Simón said at the ceremony held at the Palace of Justice in Asunción. His words were met with applause from Leguizamón's family, friends, and justice system workers.

“

I ask, on behalf of the Paraguayan State, for the corresponding public apologies.

Santiago Leguizamón was shot and killed on April 26, 1991, in Pedro Juan Caballero, a city bordering Brazil known for its violence. He was ambushed by assailants near the international avenue separating Paraguay and Brazil while on his way to a celebration for Journalists' Day.

His son, activist Dante Leguizamón, emphasized that the assassination's impact continues to resonate in Paraguayan society. He called for the event to spur public policies aimed at protecting journalists and human rights defenders and combating impunity. Dante Leguizamón, who also serves as the executive secretary of the Coordinator of Human Rights of Paraguay (Codehupy), criticized what he termed as state attacks on journalists and activists, arguing that the state violates human rights under the guise of majority support while failing to protect journalists and defenders.

“

The impact that the assassination had must be transformed into public policies against impunity in the assassinations of journalists. It must be transformed into public policies for protection against violence against journalists and it must be transformed into public policies for the protection of journalists.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights' sentence also mandates the creation of a technical commission to investigate the assassination, the promotion of a law for the comprehensive protection of Paraguayan journalists, and the reinstatement of Leguizamón's work.

“

Under the fallacy of the majorities, (the State) violates human rights and does not advance in the mandatory protection of journalists and defenders (of human rights).