No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveArias Throws Support Behind Press-Freedom Law

Arias Throws Support Behind Press-Freedom Law

As advocates of press freedom continue to lobby for changes to the country s outdated press law, languishing below other priorities on a packed legislative agenda, President Oscar Arias this week urged lawmakers to prioritize these reforms.

As a Costa Rican who loves liberty, I hope that the Freedom of the Press and Expression Bill will be considered as a priority by the Legislative Assembly, Arias said Wednesday at the inauguration of a two-day hemispheric conference of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) in San José.

These comments are Arias first call for action on the bill. Eduardo Ulibarri, former editor of the daily La Nación and president of the Institute for Freedom of Press, Expression and Public Information (IPLEX), met with other press-freedom activists and Arias to discuss the bill Aug. 9.

On that occasion, Ulibarri told The Tico Times the President and his legislative liaison, brother Rodrigo Arias, seemed unexpressive about the bill and said the assembly had too many other bills on its plate.

Ulibarri and other supporters, including legislator José Manuel Echandi, maintain there s a simple solution to that problem.

Both say the bill should be sent to one of the assembly s comisiones plenas, three subassemblies of 19 legislators apiece with the power to vote a wide range of bills into law.

Echandi, the only legislator from the National Union Party (PUN), says the commission on which he serves hasn t handled a single bill in six months (TT, Nov. 3).

Ulibarri is scheduled to meet with the editors of Costa Rican media organizations today to discuss the bill s prospects.

The proposed legislation would eliminate jail sentences for journalists convicted of defamation and libel, among other reforms to the current law, which has been on the books for 104 years. Although the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in 2004 that the law violates international treaties and must be changed, the previous assembly (2002-2006) did not take action.

In the new assembly, which took office in May, the bill is in 40th place on the agenda. At an assembly in Mexico City in October, IAPA members voiced concern about courts in Costa Rica,Venezuela and Uruguay (that) issued rulings that curtailed press freedom, referring to a May decision to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) upholding the press law.

A statement from the association said Colombia, Cuba,Mexico and Venezuela have the most hostile environments for journalists, but other countries have seen an alarming increase during the past six months in the harassment of journalists.

 

Trending Now

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...

Costa Rica Extradites David Ochy to Panama for Alleged Money Laundering

Costa Rican authorities have extradited David Ochy, a former Panamanian presidential candidate, to Panama, where he faces charges of money laundering tied to the...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...

Costa Rica Faces Scrutiny After Murder of Exiled Nicaraguan Officer

The Costa Rican government is facing growing criticism after the murder of exiled Nicaraguan military officer Roberto Samcam, who was shot to death in...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica