Iván Duque said that he would do so in accordance with the provisions of the Declaration of Chapultepec.
The president of Colombia, Iván Duque, indicated this Thursday that he will object to the questioned article of a new anti-corruption law that will amend the Penal Code to increase the penalties for libel and slander against public officials, which according to press associations opens the door to sanctions for journalistic work.
that as “signatory and defender of the Declaration of Chapultepec, the defense of press freedom is an unquestionable duty. That is how clear the first article of this wonderful document is. Any threat to that principle must be objected ”.
The Colombian Penal Code currently stipulates slander and libel in a general way and not only for public servants with prison terms of 16 to 72 months, after another amendment in 2004.
As a signatory and defender of the Declaration of Chapultepec, the defense of press freedom is an unquestionable duty. That is how clear the first article of this wonderful document is. Any threat to that principle must be objected. pic.twitter.com/UKtSlVyHI2
– Iván Duque ???????? (@IvanDuque) December 9, 2021
But now it would remain: “Anyone who, through duly proven libel or slander, intends to attack or obstruct the constitutional and legal functions of a public official, denouncing false facts about him or his family, will incur a prison term of sixty (60) to one hundred twenty (120) months ”, says the article of the future anti-corruption law, which is being processed in the legislative process. Something that organizations like the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) would open the door to sanctions similar to those that exist in Venezuela or Nicaragua.
“Freedom of expression cannot be undermined by the alleged violation of the morals of an official,” FLIP denounced in a statement issued after the approval of the article, which also imposes millionaire fines, of up to 1,359 million pesos (about $ 345,000), for those convicted of these new crimes.
The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) had also warned last week of the danger posed by this bill and asked that it be eliminated because it represents a “danger similar to that promoted by the contempt laws that proliferated in Latin America in past decades.”
The president of the IAPA, Jorge Canahuati, said that the institution fought for many decades in Latin America to “eradicate the contempt laws or laws of insult that served governments to shield their authorities and officials from criticism and investigations from the press. ”. (I)
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