(PFC/IFEX) – A court has ruled in favour of journalist Renato Álvarez in a defamation case. Álvarez is the host of the debate programme “Frente a Frente”, broadcast on Televicentro Corporation’s stations 3, 5 and 7. He will be going on trial again on 3 February 2004, for another defamation case. Both of the cases […]
(PFC/IFEX) – A court has ruled in favour of journalist Renato Álvarez in a defamation case. Álvarez is the host of the debate programme “Frente a Frente”, broadcast on Televicentro Corporation’s stations 3, 5 and 7. He will be going on trial again on 3 February 2004, for another defamation case. Both of the cases were launched against him for disclosing a report that revealed alleged connections to drug trafficking in Honduras.
The case scheduled to go to trial on 3 February was brought against Álvarez by politician and former member of congress Eduardo Sarmiento, of the Partido Nacional ruling political party. The plaintiff in the first case, which went to trial on 22 and 23 January, was lawyer Rossel Barralaga. Álvarez is the first journalist to have been brought before the courts for disclosing information that was of interest to the public.
Álvarez’s lawyer, Enrique Flores Lanza, proved that the journalist did not defame the plaintiff since there was no deceit involved in the disclosure of the report, which was broadcast on 23 June 2003. Lanza also noted that the information was of interest to the public and was corroborated by Security Minister Óscar Álvarez, who appeared on Álvarez’s television programme.
The tribunal, which was presided by Judge Mario Díaz, concluded that Álvarez “broadcast the information in order to consult with Security Minister Óscar Álvarez about the veracity of the report. The journalist never implied that he had written the report.” Judge Díaz, accompanied by Judges Sandra Avelar and Emili Page, went on to say that the tribunal established that the journalist did not intend to defame the plaintiffs and as such unanimously decided to absolve Álvarez.
According to Lanza, Álvarez’s lawyer, the verdict sets an important precedent for freedom of expression since this was the first case of its type to go before the courts. He said that he is confident that there will also be a favourable outcome for Álvarez in the second trial. Álvarez also told the Committee for Free Expression (Comité por la Libre Expresión, C-Libre) that he is optimistic about the outcome of the next trial and that he believes that no journalist in Honduras should feel intimidated when disclosing information that is of interest to the public in a responsible manner.
Rafael Ferrari, one of the most influential media outlet owners in Honduras, was called as a witness in the case. In his testimony, Ferrari firmly stated that Álvarez has every right to choose the topics he reports on without prior censorship.
