By Alejandro Martínez
In a case that has generated alarm among local and international journalism organizations, an Argentine editor could face up to 12 years in prison after being charged under the country's Anti Terrorism Law for his coverage of a brutal police arrest and allegedly inciting to violence, newspaper Clarín reported.
On Dec. 9 last year, the director of newspaper Última Hora Juan Pablo Suárez caught on video the moment when several police chiefs from the province of Santiago del Estero beat down an officer who led a series of manifestations demanding better salaries.
A few hours later, a local court ordered a search of the newspaper's offices where, according to court documents, officers found pamphlets protesting against low police salaries and inciting to violence, Clarín reported. Suárez was detained during the operation and remained under arrest for ten days accused of sedition.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Suárez is now being charged with "inciting collective violence” and “terrorizing the population" under the Penal Code's so-called Anti Terrorism Law. If found guilty, Suárez could face between six to 12 years in prison, Infobae reported.
Suárez's attorney, Victor Nazar, told RSF that "there are no legal grounds" to accuse the journalist of sedition or inciting to violence under the country's Anti Terrorism Law and said that the motives of the proceedings against him were political.
"He is the only journalist who firmly criticizes the government’s policies and the only one to cover all the pay demands,” Nazar said.
Several national and international organizations have condemned the charges against Suárez.
“We call for the immediate withdrawal of these absurd charges against Suárez,” said Camille Soulier, the head of RSF's Americas desk. “How can filming an arrest be construed as a terrorist activity? By using the anti-terrorism law against a journalist for the first time, the Santiago del Estero authorities are sending a clear message that they will tolerate no criticism.”
The Argentine Journalists' Forum (FOPEA) also criticized the charges against Suárez under the country's Anti Terrorism Law.
“We believe that this case is an example of the dangerous application of penal laws against journalistic activities. FOPEA has sustained its opposition to the Anti Terrorism Law in this regard since December 2011 and we once again consider that it should be repealed in those aspects we have referred to in the past," the organization said.
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.
