(IPYS/IFEX) – On 11 April 2006, Mireya Zurita, current editor of “El Siglo” newspaper, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for authorizing, in 2003, the publication of a press release which suggested that Deputy Police Inspector Terry Rojas, head of investigations at the Institute for Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations (Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 11 April 2006, Mireya Zurita, current editor of “El Siglo” newspaper, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for authorizing, in 2003, the publication of a press release which suggested that Deputy Police Inspector Terry Rojas, head of investigations at the Institute for Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations (Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas, CICPC) of the state of Aragua, northern Venezuela, was responsible for the misplacement of a batch of drugs.
The sentence was issued by Judge Verónica Castro of the Second Court of the state of Aragua, who stated that the journalist was guilty of defamation and of failing to reveal the source of the accusation against Rojas during trial. Zurita maintains that the item in question was a paid advertisement produced and paid for by 14 CICPC staff members who asked for their identities to be kept secret, as they feared being dismissed from their jobs.
Zurita told IPYS that the ruling has no legal substance and that she will appeal the decision.
