A Peruvian lawyer issued a writ of habeas corpus to free the journalist Paul Garay Ramírez. Garay was sentenced to three years in prison for alleged defamation, reported the newspaper Expreso.
Garay was director of the television program "Polémica" on Visión 47 TV and a correspondent for Radio http://www.laexitosa.com/ target=blank>La Exitosa. He was accused of calling the attorney general of Coronel Portillo, Agustín López Cruz, an "erotic dwarf." There is, however, no proof that the journalist used those words, reported Diario Correo.
The evidence presented against Garay was a short audio clip taken at a local radio station, where Garay does not work, with a male voice slandering the prosecutor with the insult, reported the newspaper La República.
Víctor Valdez, the reporter's lawyer, said the defamation charge was a threat against him for denouncing corruption in the judicial branch, especially regarding bribes received by judges, according to Expreso.
Garay's case, with its procedural irregularities and disproportionate sentence, was detailed on the television program Punto Final on channel Frecuencia.
See below the video of the report, which aired Sunday, Sept. 4.
