"The Colombian Prosecutor's Office scheduled an indictment hearing against columnist Yohir Akerman for Aug. 5, for the criminal proceeding for defamation, initiated by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez in 2020. It is an anomalous case and a mechanism of intimidation against the press and freedom of opinion.
In the column titled 'Facts,' published on May 17, 2020, Akerman stated that Uribe benefited from Agro Income Security (AIS, for its acronym in Spanish) subsidies. According to the former president, this information is false and harms his rights to a good name and honor, for which he filed a criminal complaint. On the other hand, Akerman's defense affirms that the published column is 'supported by cases and material evidence,' for which it requested the case be closed."
