Prosecutors seek to identify sources of comments in Panama newspapers
BOTH NEWSPAPERS published by the editorial group GESE had demands for the revelation of sources in a 48 hour period..
La Estrella and El Siglo have been the subject of actions by public prosecutors that would “violate the legal standards set by national and international agreements says La Estrella.
Two prosecutors have issued instructions to force the revealing of sources of items carried in widely read columns, 'La Llorona', which published by La Estrella, and 'Disloyalty and Confessions', published by El Siglo.
Seventh prosecutor, Jose Osorio Cedeño, made a failed attempt on Thursday to inspect the computers of La Estrella. He had ordered an inspection of the web site for the column 'La Llorona' to find the Internet Protocol (IP) of the computer that produces the column, in Panama’s most widely read newspaper.
The judicial practice of finding the IP is usually done when it comes to locating the computers that are used to commit sex crimes or for child pornography.
Osorio Cedeno is trying to find out who provided information that was used to develop a report published December 16, 2012 and leading to a libel suit by Nelson Carreyó Collazos.
Meanwhile The Office of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Panama ordered a visual inspection of the facilities of El Siglo
The aim of the measure, says La Estrella is to determine the authorship of an article on Tuesday December 18, 2012.
The director in charge of the newspaper, Magaly Montilla, said that 'there are so many crimes in Panama, it's absurd that the prosecution is engaged in the research of the source of a comment.”
The Public Prosecutor ordered the inquiries orders for the alleged commission of libel and slander, to the detriment of Nelson Carreyó Collazos, the same person who asked La Estrella to reveal the source of a comment.
The content of the comment was republished in Estrella, as part of the story on Friday. It was saying that a former judge was seeking help to get a post as a Maritime judge, but that the man he was asking (had three cases against hin while serving in that role, but the files got lost during the invasion.
The Eighth Prosecutor seeks to determine who is credited with the authorship of the comment and ordered the visual inspection .
But, says La Estrella The information requested is against Law 22 of June 29, 2005, which states in Article 4: 'The person responsible for the information or news spread by the media is not obliged to disclose the identity of its source, without prejudice to the liability incurred by their claims'.
