Juan Pablo Suárez, a journalist from Santiago del Estero facing trial for filming the arrest of a policeman in December last year, will not be charged for terrorism.
The prosecutor working on the case had originally requested that Suárez be tried for sedition and incitement to commit a crime, and recently added that the anti-terrorism law be applied to him as well. However, the federal judge in charge of the case, Guillermo Molinari, rejected the terrorism and sedition charges, and will instead prosecute Suárez for incitement to commit a crime.
After Suárez’s statement on Friday, the prosecutor himself requested the terrorism charges be dropped. The intention to apply the anti-terrorism law on a journalist had sparked widespread condemnation by organisations defending journalists’ rights and freedom of the press, as well as by opposition deputies.
‘Incitement to commit a crime’ is considered a misdemeanour and, if found guilty, Suárez can benefit from probation. The judge decided to keep this accusation based on evidence allegedly found in the mobile phones of Suárez and Nelson Villagrán —the policeman Suárez filmed, who is also being charged— which would indicate they were “instigating policemen” to join the protests that were taking part in other provinces in the country.
The post Journalist Will Not Face Terrorism Charges appeared first on The Argentina Independent.
