(IPYS/IFEX) – Daniel Santoro, a journalist for the daily newspaper “Clarín” and president of the Argentinean Journalism Forum (Foro de Periodismo Argentino, FOPEA), has denounced that his e-mail was surreptitiously monitored and copied by unknown persons who did the same to that of Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas. An account of the event appeared in the […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – Daniel Santoro, a journalist for the daily newspaper “Clarín” and president of the Argentinean Journalism Forum (Foro de Periodismo Argentino, FOPEA), has denounced that his e-mail was surreptitiously monitored and copied by unknown persons who did the same to that of Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas. An account of the event appeared in the newspaper on 11 May 2006.
According to information published in the morning paper, unknown persons copied all e-mails that contained “off the record” answers from the judge to the journalist about an investigation into an attempt to smuggle 171 kilos of cocaine to Europe. Santoro had been following the investigation since March. Copies of the e-mails were presented in the trial at the Fifth Oral Court by attorney José Manuel Ubeira, who represents one of the accused. The attorney pointed out that the photocopies were sent to his office anonymously.
Judges Luis Di Renzi, Guillermo Gordo and Guillermo Madueño, of the Fifth Oral Court, initiated a legal action to ascertain if Judge Rafecas had committed a crime by privately exchanging e-mails with Santoro. The case has come before Federal Judge Guillermo Montenegro, who heard Santoro’s testimony on 10 May.
Although the surreptitious monitoring of e-mail is not yet classed as a crime in the Argentinean Penal Code, several judges compare it to the crime of violating the privacy of written correspondence.
