The Latin American Federation of Journalists (Felap in Spanish) today described as an affront to journalism the actions of the United States that prevent Prensa Latina correspondents from taking up their posts at the United Nations and Washington.
“Two years is more than enough time for Prensa Latina correspondents at the United Nations, in New York, and in Washington to receive their visas to carry out their work with the professional integrity that characterizes them,” Felap president Juan Carlos Camaño and secretary general Nelson del Castillo said.
Both federation leaders expressed that USA is increasingly evidencing its rejection of truthful information with the purpose of being an instrument of manipulation.
Such action by the United States seems to be part of its shameful behavior against Cuba, subjected for more than six decades to a criminal blockade to the detriment of its combative people, they said.
Camaño and Del Castillo, who are in Havana to strengthen ties with the Union of Cuban Journalists (UPEC in Spanish), echoed the demands of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA).
The president of this organization, Valeria Robecco, considered “inexplicable the delay” of the visas.
She said that in the last two years she contacted the U.S. mission to the UN to inquire about the status of the visas for Ibis Frade and Ernesto Redonet, and that after indicating that they were in the administrative process, they stopped answering the messages from the UNCA.
“There is no reason for the U.S. government to arbitrarily interfere in the affairs of a world organization in order to prevent a prestigious news agency from keeping its correspondents at its New York headquarters”, denounced Felap.
The leadership of the continental federation expressed the opinion that such behavior reaffirms Washington’s falsehood when it wants to set itself up as a defender of freedom of information and press.
Prensa Latina
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