A judge absolved Colombian journalist Claudia López of libel, after accusations leveled against her by ex-President Ernesto Samper (1994-98) prompted by a column in which she suggested Samper was involved in a pair of homicides, reported RCN Radio.
López write a column in the newspaper El Tiempo in 2006 in which she alleged the former president's campaign had been financed by drug trafficking. Samper said the journalist's assertions had damaged his honor and his family.
However, the court determined that freedom of expression takes precedent over the rights to honor for a public official.
In a statement, Samper said he would appeal, adding that the decision set a dangerous precedent, reported Radio Caracol.
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.
