A Colombian court sentenced the newspaper Cundinamarca Democrática's founder and editor to 20 months in prison and a $5,500 fine for criminal libel, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Luis Agustín González, founder of the monthly publication Cundinamarca Democrática, received the sentence on Oct. 13 for a 2008 editorial criticizing the candidacy of Congresswoman María Leonor Serrano. Serrano also served as mayor of Fusagasugá in the department of Cundinamarca, according Semana. After losing her bid for Senate, Serrano alleged that the editorial damaged her reputation.
Serrano celebrated the decision and accused the journalist of blackmail, according to the newspaper El Espectador. "The problem with Agustín goes way back and he's not even a journalist, because he doesn't have a degree; he's an extortionist who said he'd end me if I didn't give him good publicity," she said.
The Colombian Federation of Journalists (Felcoper) said this case is indicative of the situation journalists face in Colombia, where they face economic challenges to maintain their business and pressure from public officials. The Felcoper collected signatures from 25 other affiliated organizations asking the Cundinamarca criminal court to revoke the decision.
The Association of Newspapers and Informative Media considered the sentence a grave precedent for freedom of opinion and that criminal prosecution against journalists constitutes censorship, reported the newspaper El Espectador.
