(December 19, 2002) – The Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information
of the Inter American Press Association expressed its concern over the situation
facing the publisher and owner of Clarín newspaper in Argentina, Ernestina
Herrera de Noble, who has been ordered by a federal judge to remain behind bars
for charges of falsifying public documents.
The Chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Rafael
Molina, without going into detail on the legalities or public debate on the
issue in Argentina, stated that the institution hopes that due process of the
law be given, guaranteeing the right to legal defenses, and that the case is
resolved as expeditiously as possible within the legal terms.
Regarding this incident which has stirred public opinion, Molina, director
of Ahora magazine, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, stated that the IAPA,
unfamiliar with the legal arguments being presented, will continue to follow
the case closely.
