By Samantha Badgen
Salvadorian authorities arrested Francisco Valencia, director of the newspaper Co Latino, late Thursday night. Valencia is accused of slandering a now-retired police chief in 1996, El Salvador.com reported.
According to Co Latino, the arrest is due to an error committed by the plaintiff's attorneys in 1996, who failed to properly close the case even though the journalist made bail and was freed the same day he was arrested. Because of this, the case was reactivated and an arrest warrant for Valencia was put out.
“At this time Valencia’s lawyers are preparing to present their case, after that the case is expected to close and Co Latino’s director will regain his freedom, since the crime is not punishable with jail time,” said Co Latino.
The Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) said they would report the case to international organizations, in addition to demanding an explication from the authorities, news site El Mundo reported.
Police have acknowledged the mistake and are clearing up the issue.
Valencia's Co Latino is highly critical of the government’s opposition and various media organizations have associated his arrest with the case against former President Francisco Flores, who is facing accusations of mishandling public funds.
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.
