Paraguay: Natalia Zuccolillo Acquitted Of Libel As Court Throws Out SLAPP
Location: Paraguay, AsunciónDate: September 7, 2022
The editor of Paraguayan newspaper ABC Color, Natalia Zuccolillo, and her colleague have been sued for defamation after exposing alleged corruption by a state official having appropriated state land in Mbatovi ecological reserve. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the legal harassment ABC Color editor Natalia Zuccolillo and her colleague are being subjected to. Abuse of law to silence independent journalists must end. We call on the judiciary to uphold press freedom and dismiss the strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPPs) against the journalists.
The newspaper published six reports between March 27 and April 22, 2019, regarding former deputy tax minister Marta González and her husband Jacinto Santa María’s alleged occupation of 22 hectares of environmental land in Mbatovi Ecoreserve, a protected natural park.
Based on their reports, González sued Natalia and her colleague Juan Carlos Lezcano for libel, demanding a prison term and compensation of around US$1,400,000. A separate defamation and slander case was filed against the journalists over reports published between March 15 to 21, 2021.
Announcing the verdict, the magistrate pointed out that there were no acts of defamation and slander on the part of the media adding that Natalia and her colleague are not guilty of any punishable act.
'The typical elements for slander and defamation are not present. There is no fact against the truth, the punishable acts against the accused journalist have not been proven,' magistrate Juan Carlos Zarate said on Monday, September 5, 2022.
According to journalist Lezcano, this is a clear precedent set that violations of freedom of expression will not be tolerated, and that this is a battle won because the slander and defamation accusations could not be proven.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is relieved that the court threw out the SLAPP cases against Natalia Zucculillo and her colleague. SLAPPs by definition are designed to exhaust the legal, financial and emotional resources of individual journalists. Such practices are aimed at discouraging investigative reporting by abusing the law to evade accountability. Paraguayan authorities need to put in place measures to counter vexatious lawsuits and ensure defamation laws are not weaponized against journalists. We celebrate Natalia and Lezcano’s win and recognize this decision as an important verdict for press freedom.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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