Janet Reno
U.S. Attorney General
Constitution Ave. & 10th St. NW
Wash, D.C. 20530

Dear Ms. Reno:

As President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the largest Latino journalism organization in the country, I am writing to express the organization's concerns with a federal court case currently before the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico.

Last June, the U.S. government charged eleven journalists with trespassing on a U.S. naval base on the island of Vieques while covering a protest against the U.S. Navy. On November 30, the court denied a request by the journalists to dismiss charges against them. Since then the employers of seven of the defendants have entered guilty pleas and paid fines. Four defendants still await trial scheduled for January 10, 2001.

We have serious concerns about the government's decision to criminally prosecute these journalists. An open society demands that news people be present at the scene of important events and we believe that this trial will have a chilling effect on the free exercise of those rights.

We ask you, as the top law enforcement officer in the country, to reconsider these trials. If carried out, not only will they have an intimidating effect on journalists, but they will also deprive the citizens of Puerto Rico of information on an issue of vital importance to them.

Sincerely,

Cecilia Alear

NAHJ President