Journalist faces possible arrest
Organisation:
Reporters without borders has protested the 25 July 2002 order for the capture of
Alvaro Vargas Llosa. A complaint was filed against the journalist for
"defamation". Vargas Llosa failed to appear in court when previously
summoned and is now considered a "criminal at large". "Detaining Alvaro
Vargas Llosa would set a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Peru,"
declared Reporters without borders Secretary-General Robert Ménard in a letter to Oscar Víctor Alfaro Álvarez, chair of Peru's Supreme Court. RSF asked the magistrate to do all he can so that the warrant for the journalist's arrest is annulled
and the journalist is not sentenced to imprisonment. Moreover, given that
Vargas Llosa has not been served a summons or notified of the warrant for
his arrest, Reporters without borders urged Alfaro Álvarez to ensure that due process is followed.
Ménard recalled that in a January 2000 report, United Nations Special
Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression Abid Hussain stated that
"imprisonment as punishment for the peaceful expression of an opinion
constitutes a serious violation of human rights."
According to information gathered by Reporters without borders, journalist Vargas Llosa was declared a "prisoner at large" on 25 July. In November 2001, businessman Adam Pollack filed a complaint against the journalist for "defamation" and "committing crimes against honour". According to Iván Paredes, the
plaintiff's lawyer, warrant for his arrest was issued because the
journalist, who has been in hiding for several months, failed to appear in
court after being summoned six times. On 22 February, Judge Guido M. Vera,
of Lima's Eleventh Court, who was in charge of the case against Vargas
Llosa, issued a summons against Vargas Llosa. Pollack had asked that the
journalist be sentenced to three years in prison and fined US$1 million. In
November, Vargas Llosa gave statements to the press pointing to alleged
irregularities committed by the Peruvian government in connection with a
military contract. Vargas Llosa stated that Pollack took part in the
negotiations, was close to President Alejandro Toledo, and called for an
investigation into the operation.
Published on
Updated on
20.01.2016