After the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai), sanctioned the digital media La Verdad with a fine of $1,000, after considering that it violated Law 81 of March 26, 2019 on the Protection of Personal Data, the College National Journalists (Conape) announced that it will demand this rule.
Conape’s decision is based, according to its president, Griselda Melo, on the fact that this regulation threatens the free exercise of the profession and that if early action is not taken, there will be more cases of journalists subject to sanctions for carrying out their work.
To carry out the lawsuit, Melo met with the president of the National Bar Association, in search of legal support, but not before approaching Antai, to let them know how harmful this law is for the practice of journalism.
“We all know that the work that journalists do is based on documents, reports, evidence, that is what supports our news, but if now we have to ask permission from that part that is being investigated, then let’s turn off the light and let’s go” , said when assuring that there are already two journalists who have been denounced, so a third, fourth or fifth case cannot be expected, to take action.
For his part, the president of the National Bar Association, Juan Carlos Araúz, said that the fear of an economic sanction will not allow the journalist to fully carry out his functions, which in the long run will cause freedom of expression and freedom of the press to be are affected.
The jurist asked Antai to reconsider the sanction applied to the digital medium La Verdad so that a precedent is not created that will weaken freedom of expression.
