(IPYS/IFEX) – On 10 November 2006, Julio Lara Ladrón de Guevara, the editor of the newspaper “El Comercio del Cusco”, and Carolina Zamalloa, a journalist for that same newspaper, were given a suspended sentence of one year in prison and fined 2,000 nuevos soles (approx. US$620) as civil reparation for defamation. The ruling was issued […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 10 November 2006, Julio Lara Ladrón de Guevara, the editor of the newspaper “El Comercio del Cusco”, and Carolina Zamalloa, a journalist for that same newspaper, were given a suspended sentence of one year in prison and fined 2,000 nuevos soles (approx. US$620) as civil reparation for defamation. The ruling was issued by Judge Aníbal Paredes of Cusco’s Sixth Tribunal. The city of Cusco is situated in southern Peru.
The ruling favors Carlos Aguilar Carrasco, who had taken legal action against the journalists after they published in September 2005 allegations by students of the city’s Fine Arts School (Escuela de Bellas Artes) about sexual harassment by Aguilar.
After the article appeared in the paper, Aguilar sent a letter responding to the accusations, which was published in its entirety.
The sentence has been appealed to a higher court and will be reviewed by the Third Tribunal of Cusco’s Superior Court.
