The mayors Yamandú Orsi and Carolina Cosse were consulted this Saturday –among other issues– for the Interpol raid on radio station Azul FM and the home of journalist Ignacio Álvarez in search of his cell phone. At a press conference, the Montevideo mayor avoided giving a statement, while her peer from Canelones made known her discomfort regarding the decision of the prosecutor Mariana Alfaro, endorsed by Judge Patricia Rodríguez.
Asked about the facts, Cosse stated: “It is a matter of Justice. I do not position myself.” When asked if she considered that guarantees were given that freedom of expression would not be violated, the community chief replied: “I am not going to analyze when Justice decides to intervene in an issue, because I believe in the separation of powers, which is the basis of a Republic”.
Mayor Orsi, for his part, pointed out: “I don’t like the precedent it sets. I am very respectful and the subject of the media must be taken care of very much. makes me noise”. The Canarian hierarch added: “It’s a signal that, from the guts, I tell you that I don’t like it. Maybe when the result is out I’ll tell you: ‘I was wrong’. But the signal makes noise.” Asked about the disclosure of the results audio part of the program Fishbowlreplied that he had not liked it either, and sentenced: “It is a rather delicate subject.”
A request requested by the prosecutor Mariana Alfaro and signed by Judge Patricia Rodríguez ordered the search in order to “obtain useful evidence for the investigation and verify the origin and exact content of the recordings reproduced” in Fishbowlwhich is broadcast by Azul and is driven by Álvarezas established by the court order to which he agreed The Observer.
The raid took place around noon on Friday. When Interpol arrived at Álvarez’s address, which they had declared, they found that the journalist no longer resides there. After a phone call with Álvarez, he refused to appear at Interpol headquarters and present the devices used to produce the program.
Several leaders of the Broad Front had denounced the dissemination of these contents to the Prosecutor’s Office, relying on article 92 of Law 19,580: “Whoever disseminates, reveals, exhibits or transfers to third parties images or recordings of a person with intimate or sexual content, without their authorization, will be punished with a sentence of six months in prison to two years in prison.”
Several public reactions to the raid included that of the former rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Organization of American States (OAS) and current head of the Canelones Municipal Government, Edison Lanza: “Journalists are not outside the law, but freedom of the press is a constitutional right. It contains specific protections such as the confidentiality of sources. Searching a media outlet and seizing journalist’s devices violates the right,” he said.
