(IFJ/IFEX) – On 11 May 1999, the editor of “Caretas” magazine, Enrique Zileri Gibson, appealed to the Supreme Court to re-examine the sentence that was passed against him in 1991, for having reported on the work of presidential aide Vladimiro Montesinos. At the time, Montesinos, via his attorney, denied being a public servant. Zileri was […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – On 11 May 1999, the editor of “Caretas” magazine, Enrique
Zileri Gibson, appealed to the Supreme Court to re-examine the sentence that
was passed against him in 1991, for having reported on the work of
presidential aide Vladimiro Montesinos. At the time, Montesinos, via his
attorney, denied being a public servant.
Zileri was given a one-year suspended prison term and was fined US$10,000,
payable to Montesinos. However, after several years, a determining factor in
the case has appeared. On 25 April, during a television interview,
Montesinos admitted: “I have been living here for nine years, twenty four
hours a day, in this compound (of the National Intelligence Service), as
President Fujimori well knows, and I have solely focused on fulfilling the
duties of the post [as a civil servant].”
Zileri said that a review of the sentence would put the independence of the
judiciary to the test. More than anything, he noted, it is a symbolic case
because it highlights the right of journalists to investigate the background
of public officials.
Zileri’s lawyer, Alberto Borea, pointed out that his client’s sentence could
be reviewed, because under penal law a tried matter is relative: new
evidence can be discovered that points to the innocence of a sentenced
person.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president of the Supreme Court:
Appeals To
Victor Raúl Castillo Castillo
President
Supreme Court of Justice
Fax: +51 14 26 8851
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
