[Síguenos ahora también en WhatsApp. Da clic aquí]

Governments are increasingly turning to legal tactic to silence journalistswith charges of alleged financial and financial crimes or anti-terrorism laws, all of which are not directly related to his professional activities, UNESCO condemned today.

A report published this Wednesday by UNESCO estimates the number of cases included in the period 2005-2024 at 120, of which more than half (60%) occurred between 2019 and 2022, “indicating a marked increase in the use of these complaints against journalists.” ” In 2022, a record of 25 cases was recorded.

“There is a clear trend toward an increase” in what could be considered “indirect censorship,” he said. EFE Guilherme Canela, Head of the Section on Press Freedom and Safety of Journalists at UNESCO.

This type of repression will be more Sibylline, as the authorities will use the common laws of most countries (for example, charges of extortion, money laundering, fraud or tax evasion), rather than resorting todefamation laws.

“The idea is discredit the press as a valuable interlocutor in the investigation of the activities of the powerful,” explains Canela.

Another charge that UNESCO makes against the practice of journalism lies behind “foreign agent laws,” as well as anti-terrorism laws that serve to accuse the media of financing terrorist activities.

For a high-ranking official, this practice “indirect censorship” This has “very high costs”, both in terms of image and in terms of criminal consequences, since whistleblowers could end up “in prison” if convicted.

“Journalists also self-censor, as we have seen with those reporting on environmental issues,” Canela adds.

According to UNESCO, most of this type of censorship occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 7 cases were reported between 2010 and 2023. most in Central America. “The subregion has seen an increase in charges and convictions for money laundering and extortion,” the report said.

long prison sentences, forced expulsion of journalists and closure of media outlets These were three consequences of convictions on charges of money laundering and extortion.

UNESCO also believes that journalists sued on these charges find it difficult to defend themselves because access to legal services is more difficult and expensive than for defamation or libel claims.

“Local experts in corporate, criminal and tax law, as well as accounting experts, are needed,” the report’s authors note. “Legal complexity of economic crimes”which also implies high psychological losses and a large investment of time.

For UNESCO, another trend used by political and economic powers to twist the arm of independent information is the use of so-called “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPP), through which a powerful player sues critical voices. for the sole purpose of intimidation and incurring high legal costs.

Canela estimates that the European Commission directive and the Brazilian Supreme Court ruling, both recent, show that there are regions that are on the right track in regulating this type of practice.

EFE