(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 20 August 2004, Judge Carlos Mario Peña, of the Managua Fifth District Criminal Court, issued a veiled threat against journalist Mirna Velásquez, of “La Prensa” newspaper. According to information provided by the journalist and published in “La Prensa”, after a press conference the judge approached Velásquez and tried to intimidate her by […]
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 20 August 2004, Judge Carlos Mario Peña, of the Managua Fifth District Criminal Court, issued a veiled threat against journalist Mirna Velásquez, of “La Prensa” newspaper. According to information provided by the journalist and published in “La Prensa”, after a press conference the judge approached Velásquez and tried to intimidate her by recounting detailed information about her private life, how she spent her free time and the places she frequented. He warned Velásquez “to be careful”, saying she would continue to be followed.
On 13 August, Velásquez reported that the Judges’ Association was drafting a letter to the Supreme Court outlining concerns its members had about Peña’s conduct. Peña was angered by the report and complained to the Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Committee, alleging that Judges Ángela Dávila and Adela Cardoza had given Velásquez a copy of the draft letter. The judges’ letter was released officially on 20 August. According to Velásquez, Peña’s attempt to intimidate her is linked to her report about the letter.
In a letter to Supreme Court Chair Yadina Centeno, PROBIDAD said the judge’s actions were an attack on the right to disseminate information about public officials’ misconduct. The organisation added that according to the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, “public officials are subject to greater scrutiny by society”.
For further information on the case, see: portal-pfc.org/index.php?seccion=perseguidos/2004/050.html
For PROBIDAD’s letter to the Supreme Court chair, see: portal-pfc.org/perseguidos/2004/050.pdf
