By Ingrid Bachmann
The Appellate Court of Carabobo state annulled journalist Francisco “Pancho” Pérez's conviction that had sentenced him to three years and nine months of house arrest and a ban on practicing journalism during his sentence, El Carabobeño reports.
The journalist was convicted earlier this year for a column that said the mayor of Valencia was allegedly engaging in nepotism, El Universal explains. The mayor had successfully pressed charges against the journalist for “insulting a public official and slander,” drawing criticism from industry and journalist groups.
According to the Agencia Carabobeña de Noticias, local journalism associations celebrated the ruling. Starting next Monday, Pérez plans go back to work at El Carabobeño newspaper.
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.
