The court prosecutor, Juan Gómez, reported this monday that “by express resolution of the acting prosecutor” the house search will not be carried out from the host of the radio program La Pecera, Ignatius Alvarez.
“That measure was not complied with and will not be complied with. There is no reason at this stage of events for any journalist to be subject to the seizure of their work instrument, which, without a doubt, could be their cell phone,” he said.
The prosecutor had ordered the search of the radio station Azul FM (where La Pecera is broadcast) and also of Álvarez’s home. The first took place on Friday while the second will not take place.
Gómez clarified that the order “did not seek any disclosure of sources from a journalist,” but rather corroborate “if there was a greater diffusion, a transfer of those audios or recordings to other people”. He also specified that none of the measures requested were successful.
“A crime was not being investigated, but in his mind there was conduct with a criminal appearance. What could be the affectation of a right to confidentiality of sources was not considered,” he acknowledged, based on the request of prosecutor Mariana Alfaro.
“The only thing that was obtained in what was called a raid on a radio station were the audios of two programs journalistic reports delivered by the station’s management without further difficulty,” he insisted.
Gómez indicated that he trusts the work of his colleagues, to whom he guaranteed “absolute technical independence” to analyze their cases, and assured that heThe Prosecutor’s Office is a “guarantor” of freedom of expression and that, therefore, freedom of the press is not disrupted.
As he explained, Alfaro later considered the measures that she herself had promoted “unnecessary” and recognized her “strategic error.” not knowing (that the search) could affect the rights not to reveal the source”.
“These audios could be in the hands of other journalists. If the intention was to reveal the sources, nobody could be surprised if they tried to find out what the source was with other journalists,” the prosecutor stressed.
Álvarez’s cell phone will not be reviewed by the Prosecutor’s Office. However, the possible violation of article 92 for broadcasting the audios on the radio program will continue to be investigated.
