By Ingrid Bachmann
Confronted with the outcry from journalists and the media over the unprecedented banning of two journalists condemned of defamation from working for one year, the president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, said he is committed to freedom of expression and promised to pardon both journalists, reported EFE and Crítica.
Earlier, the president had said the sentence was a judicial matter and that he would not give his opinion.
“Our government has a firm commitment to preserving, promoting and protecting freedom of expression, and the right to information,” said Martinelli, as quoted by La Estrella.
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.
