Argentine
President Intends To Abolish
Crime Of Libel
BUENOS AIRES - The
Argentine government said on Friday it would
submit a bill to the Congress to abolish the
crime of defamation to ensure people's
freedom of speech.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said
she would rather identify the responsible
words out of a thousand lies than deprive
people of their rights to express opinions
and ideas.
"This is the way I understand democratic
freedom," Fernandez said in a national
address to commemorate the 30th anniversary
of the historic visit by the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) during
the military rule in 1979.
"The government will guarantee more freedom
of speech and I doubt there has been any
stage in the country where people could have
more freedom to speak than my era," she
said.
The president made the remarks in response
to the IACHR's condemnation for the "Kimel
case" involving a renowned journalist, who
revealed the finding of five clergymen
murdered in 1976 by paramilitary groups.
Eduardo Kimel criticized in one of his books
the handling of the murder case by Judge
Guillermo Rivarola between 1976 and 1997.
However, Kimel was sentenced to one-year
imprisonment and payment of some 5,200 U.S.
dollars in fine after Judge Rivarola brought
libel charge against him.
The IACHR said that the Argentine
government's interference with Kimel's
freedom of speech is "disproportionate and
excessive."
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
