Court orders seizure of biographical book

(IPYS/IFEX) – On 3 December 2002, the Santiago First Criminal Court ordered that all copies of the book “Cecilia, la vida en llamas” (“Cecilia, a Life in Flames”) be seized from bookstores and the Planeta Publishing Company’s warehouses. The court issued the order after accepting a complaint filed by Cecilia, a popular Chilean music star, […]

(IPYS/IFEX) – On 3 December 2002, the Santiago First Criminal Court ordered that all copies of the book “Cecilia, la vida en llamas” (“Cecilia, a Life in Flames”) be seized from bookstores and the Planeta Publishing Company’s warehouses.

The court issued the order after accepting a complaint filed by Cecilia, a popular Chilean music star, against the author of the unauthorised biography, journalist Cristobal Peña. The journalist told IPYS that he was concerned and baffled by this unexpected measure.

Renato Peña, the author’s father and lawyer, told IPYS that the court order did not explicitly give a reason for the decision to take the book out of circulation. Moreover, the lawyer felt that the launch of the legal action and the court order were untimely, since the book had already been on sale for almost one month.

In her complaint, the singer alleged that the book had damaged her reputation. In response, Renato Peña noted that the artist herself has admitted that she lived a “squandered and out of control life. She is now angry that someone else is saying the same thing.”

The singer has asked for a public apology and compensation for damages.

The defence was planning to file an appeal on 4 December, asking that the confiscation order be repealed.

In a press release, the Planeta Publishing Company expressed its surprise over the court decision and rejected the argument that the book “Cecilia, la vida en llamas” had “dishonoured” the singer. The company noted that “the book contains a well documented recapitulation of the trajectory of Cecilia’s life, highlighting her musical accomplishments and the role she played in the 1960s music scene (…) The artist feels that the book contains some information that can be considered defamatory. However, the Planeta Publishing Company and the book’s author publicly state that it was not their intention to damage the singer’s reputation. Subsequently, the measure launched against the publishing company and the author is a grave attack on freedom of expression and information.”

Prior to the launch of the legal action, there was an attempt at reconciliation whereby the singer requested an apology and compensation for damages. However, the publishing company and the author rejected her request.

Thus far, the defendants have not had an opportunity to appear before the court and provide evidence in their defence.

Recommended Action

Cristobal Peña
Journalist, author of “Cecilia, la vida en llamas”
E-mail: cpena@copesa.cl

Bartolo Ortiz
General Manager
Planeta Publishing Company
Fax: +56 2 695 7260

Send appeals to the Santiago First Criminal Court:
– condemning the court order

Appeals To

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.