Despite opposition from journalism groups, the president of Costa Rica announced a new law would take effect punishing journalists and citizens with up to 10 years in prison for releasing "political secrets," according to the newspaper El País on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
The new law reforms several articles in the penal code dealing with information crimes to punish the unauthorized possession of "secret information," reported the news agency EFE. According to the newspaper TicoVisión, several corruption scandals were uncovered through the use of hidden cameras.
The Union of Costa Rican Journalists lodged a constitutional complaint against the penal reform in the Information Crimes Law, reported the newspaper La Nación.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
