(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – Journalists Nelson Fernández and Luis Fuentes, director and chief editor of “La Prensa” newspaper, published in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, 250 kilometres from the capital, Tegucigalpa, avoided going to trial by reaching an agreement with a Supreme Court judge following her suit for defamation and calumny. Fernández told the Committee […]
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – Journalists Nelson Fernández and Luis Fuentes, director and chief editor of “La Prensa” newspaper, published in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, 250 kilometres from the capital, Tegucigalpa, avoided going to trial by reaching an agreement with a Supreme Court judge following her suit for defamation and calumny.
Fernández told the Committee for Free Expression (Comité por la Libre Expresión, C-libre) that the agreement was reached on 28 April 2005, with terms “respecting and favouring the exercise of freedom of expression.”
“We apologised to Judge María Elena Matute about the regrettable error in the article that she sued us about, and we clarified that at no time did we or the newspaper intend to damage her honour or reputation,” said Fernández.
“The case was dropped when she accepted our apologies and there was no need to reach other agreements, contrary to what had been expected. The judge said that at no time had she wanted to interfere with freedom of expression and we explained that we had not wanted to cause her harm either,” clarified the director of “La Prensa”, Honduras’s largest daily.
Fernández expressed satisfaction about the agreement, emphasising that the hearing was held in a polite and respectful atmosphere, and stressed the role played by Judge Issa Hernández, who heard the case.
