(IPYS/IFEX) – In a surprising development, two Court of Appeal magistrates, who were presiding over the Hector Faisal case, were replaced by judges who are related to armed forces and police officials. Faisal is a former member of the Argentinian military, accused of defaming independent journalists. **Updates IFEX alerts of 10 August, 6 August, 14 […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – In a surprising development, two Court of Appeal magistrates,
who were presiding over the Hector Faisal case, were replaced by judges who
are related to armed forces and police officials. Faisal is a former member
of the Argentinian military, accused of defaming independent journalists.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 10 August, 6 August, 14 July, 11 June, 7 June, 2
June, 28 May, 21 May, 17 May, 20 April, 8 April 1999 and 2 December 1998**
On 15 September 1999, the claimants’ oral report was presented to the Sixth
Criminal Chamber of the Appeals Court. The chamber’s president, Teresa
Inoñán, and Judge Elvira Álvarez, who had previously been assigned to the
case, were not present on that day. They were replaced by Denis Baca, acting
as president, and Leonor Chamorro, spouses of an armed forces high ranking
official and of a national police officer, respectively.
In a press release, IPYS stated that “given the series of irregularities
that have marked the case since the trial began, one cannot discard the
possibility that the judges were replaced so that the crimes brought forth
by independent journalists against Faisal will remain in impunity.”
On the week of 27 September, the court, which is also presided by member
Roberto Barandiarán, will rule on the “La República” journalists’ legal
challenge of Judge Arturo Vílchez Requejo’s ruling. Vílchez absolved Faisal,
the legal representative of the Association for the Defense of the Truth
(Asociacion Pro Defensa de la Verdad, APRODEV), of all charges against him.
Since 1998, APRODEV has maintained an Internet page which is dedicated to
discrediting politicians and journalists opposed to President Alberto
Fujimori’s regime.
