Tension between President Rodrigo Chaves and the press continues to escalate. During this week’s press conference, journalists were mocked by President Chaves and intimidated by the presence of Presidential House custodians while performing their duties.
Journalists David Chavarría, of the radio platform Interferencia, and David Bolaños, of the information verification project Doble Check, attended the government’s weekly press conference as part of their duties.
The journalists posed questions about the Gandoca-Manzanillo case and the companies seeking approval for 12-hour workdays. These questions were directed to President Chaves, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Franz Tattenbach, and Laura Fernández, Minister of the Presidency. The answers provided were insufficient or evasive, prompting the journalists to attempt to ask follow-up questions and address related topics.
At that moment, confusion ensued, as they were unable to ask their questions. While they spoke off-microphone, Chaves continued to refer to them by name, laughing and making dismissive comments, while gesturing as though asking for their removal or to have them ignored.
“Chaves passed by, making fun of me. Then I asked him why he did not answer our questions. In response, the Minister of Public Transportation told me I should respect him (President). I replied that the President should also respect the press and not offend with personal attacks,” said Bolaños.
For the communicator, the presence of bodyguards around him was an act of intimidation. “Given the situation, we asked to speak with the Minister of Communication after the conference, but he ignored the messages sent,” he added. A press release from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) described the incident as a blatant disrespect to press freedom.
“These actions are characteristic of an authoritarian government and represent a significant disrespect to both press freedom and the democratic system, as well as to our journalists as individuals: President Rodrigo Chaves repeatedly alluded to David Chavarría and David Bolaños to mock them and their work, with phrases that can be observed in the recordings available on government platforms and in other media,” the UCR said.
Despite the situation being recorded on video, the government rejected the accusations made by the UCR.
This is not the first time such a problem has occurred between the government and the press. On multiple occasions, journalists have denounced attacks on the press by the government.
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