(RSF/IFEX) – Facing a defamation case first brought in 2002 by an official in Chiapas state, in southern Mexico, Angel Mario Ksheratto, of the regional daily “Cuarto Poder”, is now out on bail after having been in jail since 11 November 2006. On 19 December, a local judge released him on payment of 33,500 pesos […]
(RSF/IFEX) – Facing a defamation case first brought in 2002 by an official in Chiapas state, in southern Mexico, Angel Mario Ksheratto, of the regional daily “Cuarto Poder”, is now out on bail after having been in jail since 11 November 2006. On 19 December, a local judge released him on payment of 33,500 pesos (about 2,300 euros) bail put up by state governor Juan Sabines Guerrero. The journalist had already spent 18 days in prison, from 4 to 22 February this year, before being freed on bail equivalent to 8,000 euros. He was previously arrested on two occasions, in January 2003 and October 2005.
Chiapas’ press law, the harshest in all Latin America, provides for a sentence of up to nine years in prison in cases of “defamation” or “denigration”. Forty journalists working for state-run media are currently facing this process. In light of this situation, the governor, Juan Sabines Guerrero recently proposed to the State Congress a law making an xception for journalists, but did not recommend a general decriminalisation of the alleged offence.
RSF welcomes the Chiapas governor’s move in support of Ksheratto, but is not satisfied with the legislative status quo. “While federal law is moving towards decriminalisation, it is absurd to maintain criminal procedures at the state level,” the organisation said. “The legislation in Chiapas represents a serious threat to press freedom.”
