(PFC/IFEX) – On 3 July 2003, Alfredo Ortega Apendinni, a federal congressional candidate for the Partido de Acción Nacional party from District VI in Hidalgo state, announced that he had filed complaints against several journalists and media outlets for publishing articles questioning his conduct. Ortega Apendinni told a radio station in the city of Pachuca […]
(PFC/IFEX) – On 3 July 2003, Alfredo Ortega Apendinni, a federal congressional candidate for the Partido de Acción Nacional party from District VI in Hidalgo state, announced that he had filed complaints against several journalists and media outlets for publishing articles questioning his conduct.
Ortega Apendinni told a radio station in the city of Pachuca that on 7 July, a day after the congressional elections, he would reveal the names of those against whom he is launching legal action, including “IQ Magazine”, two local newspapers, “El Sol de Hidalgo” and “Síntesis”, and “IQ Magazine” journalist Antonio Ortigoza Vázquez.
The media outlets have published information about conflicts in Ortega Apendinni’s family, including an incident which took place several years ago in which he beat his father in the street. They also indicated that he has had drug addiction problems, and one magazine questioned the immigration status of an individual close to him.
PFC and the Agencia de Noticias Confidencial (ANC) news agency have previously referred to the disturbing situation in Hidalgo state, where government officials and political leaders have threatened and launched several criminal complaints against journalists (see IFEX alerts of 8 July, 20 and 12 June 2003).
In a letter to Hidalgo Attorney General Juan Manuel Sepúlveda, PFC protested the legal action initiated by Ortega Apendinni, saying, “It is unacceptable to dictate to media outlets the type of information they can publish about government officials and political leaders. Furthermore, it is unacceptable that media outlets are threatened with legal action when they go ahead and publish the information.”
PFC considers the criminalisation of presumed “insults against the honour” of individuals in the public eye to be a violation of freedom of expression and a serious restriction on journalism.
For PFC’s letter to the Hidalgo attorney general and additional information, see: http://portal-pfc.org/perseguidos/2003/092.html
This alert was prepared by PFC with information from the ANC.
