Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar
Prime Minister’s Chancellery
Madrid
Spain

Vienna, 10 May 2000

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute, the global network of editors and media executives, utterly condemns the brutal slaying of Jose Luis Lopez de la Calle of Spain’s El Mundo newspaper allegedly perpetrated by the Basque terrorist group ETA.

Lopez de la Calle, aged 63, was gunned down outside his home in the Basque town of Andoain. As a journalist for El Mundo he had been an outspoken critic of the Basque guerrilla group ETA and had accused the group of trying to impose its own brand of fascism on the Basque region.

The board, organising committees, members and employees of IPI deplore this craven and brutal action. An action which strikes at the very heart of democracy and the right to freedom of expression.

“This was a cowardly and despicable act of terrorism which sought to snuff out the legitimate voice of criticism within the Basque region”, said Johann P. Fritz, Director of IPI. ” The callous murder of journalists is intolerable in a free and democratic society. No organisation can ever hope to achieve its aims by shedding the blood of journalists.”

IPI calls on the terrorist group ETA to seek legitimate means to solve its problems and to immediately refrain from the murder and intimidation of journalists. In addition, IPI together with the other members of the press freedom community affirms its moral support to the journalists and media workers within the Basque region.

We thank you for your attention.

Johann P. Fritz
Director